Togo: 10 women train in heavy truck driving and logistics

Ten young women from Togo will learn to drive heavy trucks and operate port handling equipment in a program that extends into the workplace. The CCI-Togo launched the first cohort of “Femme Action” on Friday, September 18, in Lomé, aimed at increasing women’s access to careers in transport and logistics.

The program combines theoretical lessons, practical exercises, simulator training, and driving lessons in a school vehicle. After this phase, participants will undergo a professionalization stage before a three-month immersion in a company, according to the Togolese Press Agency and Horizon News.

The selection process began following the project’s pre-launch in March. Forty-three female applications were received, and 25 candidates who scored at least 80 points were invited for interviews. Ten women were then shortlisted and underwent a vision test before joining the first cohort, reports L’Interview Togo.

Truck driving, handling equipment and materials, as well as activities related to transport and logistics, form the core of the training. CCI-Togo also presents entrepreneurship as an option for some participants who wish to develop a business in these sectors after completing their training.

Horizon News indicates that the initiative aims to gradually reach 250 beneficiaries. It is part of a broader movement in Togo, where the Lomé-Ouagadougou-Niamey Economic Corridor Project plans to train 240 women in heavy truck driving.

The launch on September 18 was also marked by the signing of an agreement between CCI-Togo, Africa Global Logistics Togo, the Directorate of Road and Rail Transport, and Dorothée Nassif, the patron of the first cohort, to oversee the training and professionalization of the beneficiaries.