• Togo launches irrigation project with 400 boreholes under ProMIFA
• Initiative includes training, digital tools, and community management systems
• Aims to boost dry-season farming, jobs, and rural incomes

Togo’s risk-sharing agricultural financing program (ProMIFA) has launched a project to develop 400 boreholes and irrigated market gardening sites to boost agricultural production in rural areas.

Training workshops are being held this week through April 3, 2026, across several regions, including Maritime, Kara, Plateaux, Centrale and Savanes. The sessions aim to train technical advisers from the Institute for Advice and Technical Support (ICAT) in managing irrigation infrastructure.

The initiative seeks to organize community management of the facilities by involving local farmers throughout the process. Trained staff will identify stakeholders, assess organizational capacity and set up management committees for each site.

The program also uses digital tools, including the Kobo Collect application, to gather and process field data. The data will inform future phases of the project.

Officials say the initiative is expected to improve agricultural productivity, particularly during the dry season, while supporting job creation and higher rural incomes.

Amenunya Kokou Elolo, head of infrastructure and development at the rural development directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the development of market gardening sites under ProMIFA would enable farmers to significantly and sustainably increase dry-season output. He added that the project would help create jobs, raise rural incomes and improve food and nutritional security.

The construction of the 400 boreholes and related infrastructure forms part of the government’s strategy to modernize agriculture, reduce vulnerability to climate variability and improve food security.

ProMIFA is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and co-financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It is one of the country’s main public instruments for financing and structuring agricultural enterprises.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi