Togo: PM inaugurates High Council of Togolese Living Abroad (HTCE)
Lomé, Togo (PANA) - Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou Friday inaugurated the High Council of Togolese Living Abroad (HCTE), a platform for exchanges to facilitate the contribution of the Diaspora to the country's development, reported PANA here.
Togolese authorities who rely on Togolese abroad for their contribution to the country's inclusive development, are delighted by the installation of the HCTE, a veritable tool for exchanges and integration of the Diaspora.
"Our fellow citizens who have chosen to live abroad, today constitute a reservoir par excellence, of women and men with the talents, resources and potential to contribute to the emergence of Togo," declared Klassou.
It has 77 members with a 5-member board chaired by Kodzovi Atitso, Country Delegate of Cote d'Ivoire. They have a three-year term.
The HCTE members also took part in a forum, the "Diaspora Success Stories" which ended Friday after two days of work.
From 2014 to the present day, several actions have been taken to "take advantage" of the Diaspora, notably the organization of their meetings, visa exemption for Togolese living outside the country and have a dual nationality.
A ‘Diaspora Success Stories’ week was also launched to promote Togolese skills from abroad and exploit their potential in terms of relational business networks and encourage them to invest in the country.
An estimated 1.4 million US dollars on remittances from the Togolese Diaspora to the country was declared in the year 2018, according to a recent study by the World Bank.
But this potential has remained untapped or under exploited.
Togo, from official sources, has about two million of its nationals abroad, half of them in African countries.
-0- PANA FAA/IS/KND/RA 30Nov2019
