Lomé - At the end of the first half of 2020 (end-June 2020), Togo's public debt amounted to about 2,407 billion CFA francs (just over $4.12 billion), according to recent statistics from the Togolese administration on the issue.

This debt, the data indicate, remains mainly denominated in local currency (at about 70%) or 1,674 billion, in contrast to claims denominated in foreign cash 30% (733 billion FCFA). In the same vein, the bulk of this debt is currently long-term, receivables with a maturity of more than 12 months, which represent 2,250 billion (or 93% of the outstanding), against 156 billion (7%), in the short term according to initial maturity.

For this first half of 2020, there was an increase of 9.6% compared to the previous half. The debt was indeed 2,196 billion at the end of 2019. This increase is expected to continue slightly, notably according to the World Bank, in line with spending on the Covid-19 response, and its economic consequences at the global and continental levels.

"The level of public debt is expected to increase slightly," the Bretton Woods institution said in a recent report. Noting that while "the risk of external over-indebtedness remains moderate", "the overall risk of over-indebtedness is high". The country would thus risk, by the end of the year, to return to above the 70% of GDP mark, after all the efforts made in recent years, to reverse this trend. Thus, for the Bank, "Total public debt is projected to increase, standing at 71.0% of GDP in 2020".