On behalf of UNESCO, CAD has designed a strategy to strengthen partnership
management capacities of the decision makers and stakeholders of literacy and informal education in Togo.

Togo is a small country on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Located between Benin and Ghana, it is today one of the world’s poorest countries. It has been marked by more than forty years of oppression and has only recently begun its democratization following the death of feared dictator Eyadema in 2005.
However, these years have taken their toll and the country is characterized by a very bureaucratic and formal administrative system, fostering a culture adverse to constructive dialogue between the various components of society.

The Cap program EFA (Education For All) Togo has been created to strengthen capacities of the literacy and informal education sector, aimed at children, youth and adults who have left the education system, can neither read nor write and have not benefited from professional training. This sector is managed by the Ministry of Education, but there is a multitude of players, mainly NGOs working at opening schools or promoting national languages throughout the whole country, without coordination among themselves, and often not even knowing each other.

Togo has also been marked by a prolonged absence of international organizations that have not been able to contribute to its development during the years of dictatorship. However, they have started to return since the democratization process began in 2007 and increasingly want to become involved in the country. For example, the World Bank, through the Fast Track program would be willing to provide support of 40 million dollars and many more players would be willing to get involved if good governance based on transparency, equity and the search for mutual benefit is guaranteed.

In this context, partnerships are emerging as a key mechanism for involving all stakeholders while obtaining funds to support new development strategies drawn up by the national government and various ministries.

CAD has worked with UNESCO since November 2011 to define and implement a strategy to create a true culture of partnerships between different players involved in the field of informal education and literacy. This work began with an analysis of the different decision makers and stakeholders as well as a review of the various tools and strategies. This first phase was completed in May by organizing a cross-sector workshop in Lomé, which was attended by members of the Ministry of Education at central and regional levels, UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank and a number of NGOs. The workshop focused on communicating and teaching a number of tools to various parties in order to promote constructive dialogue and build a common vision. It also enabled the development of a first common roadmap for the remainder of 2012, outlining a set of objectives and proposing the equitable distribution of resources and responsibilities.

The collaboration of CAD will continue throughout 2012 with a series of actions including strategic advice, training of educators and the organization of a second cross-sector workshop.
Working together, the different players will be able to generate great improvements in literacy and acquire the professional tools necessary to empower the Togolese people to build a better future for their country.
The Human Development Index 2010 ranks Togo in position 139 of a total of 162 countries.