Togo: the Maritime Region and the Chinese province of Shandong prepare a decentralized cooperation agreement

The Regional Council of Togo's Maritime Region and the Chinese province of Shandong are planning to establish a decentralized cooperation partnership in the near future. A Chinese delegation is currently visiting Lomé to explore possible avenues of collaboration.

During the visit, the delegation was briefed on the economic assets of the Maritime region, which has a population of around 3.5 million, according to the 2022 census, and thus represents a major consumer market.

The local authorities also presented the main sectors for potential partnership. These include agriculture, livestock breeding, infrastructure, energy, the environment, health and institutional development.

The Chinese side, for its part, presented the characteristics of Shandong province, one of the largest in China. Located on the east coast, the province is renowned for its economic and cultural dynamism.

It has a population of over 100 million and covers all 41 industrial categories defined by the United Nations. In 2023, Shandong's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 1,400 billion euros, according to Fan Huaping, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress and head of the delegation.

At the end of the exchanges, the two parties agreed to deepen discussions with a view to active decentralized cooperation, in line with the dynamic of bilateral relations.This is in line with the dynamic bilateral relations between the two countries, which were strengthened at the recent Sino-African Economic Forum (FOCAC 2024).

Source: www.togofirst.com/