The Togolese government continues to work towards enhancing the economic and administrative inclusion of women entrepreneurs. A mobile operation for issuing national identity cards was initiated on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Adawlato market, aiming to make this important document more accessible for female traders. This effort, organized by the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection in partnership with the Autonomous Public Establishment for the Exploitation of Lomé Markets (EPAM), focuses on bringing administrative services closer to the community, especially for women engaged in the informal sector. The campaign, which is active until March 13, 2025, enables beneficiaries to receive their cards within 48 hours, a significant reduction from the usual 15-day wait. According to Somialo Potcholi-Kadja, Director General of EPAM, this initiative not only streamlines access to administrative documents but also enhances women’s participation in banking and formal transactions. It’s important to highlight that in Togo, only about 460,000 women had a national identity card (CNI) in 2022, compared to over double that number (approximately 866,000) for men, resulting in a total of 1.32 million Togolese, as reported by the WURI biometric identification project of the Ministry of the Digital Economy and Digital Transformation. This inadequate representation particularly limits their access to bank loans, digital services, and international trade opportunities.
