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The Hill
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
The US needs a foothold in the Sahel, and Togo is here to help
As Congress prepares to mark up the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. has a critical opportunity to strengthen its strategic partnerships in Africa — partnerships that will shape regional stability for years to come. Nowhere is this more urgent than in West Africa. Earlier this year, General Michael Langley, Commander of AFRICOM, warned that terrorist groups are actively seeking access to the West African coastline — an objective that 'puts not just African nations at risk, but also increases the chance of threats reaching the U.S. shores.' Terrorist attacks in northern Togo, once unthinkable, are now tragically real. To counter extremism and support governance in vulnerable states, the U.S. must act with urgency and with trusted partners. It must act with Togo. Togo is the United States' most engaged and capable defense partner in coastal West Africa. Over the past decade, Togo and the United States have built a strong foundation of security cooperation — from joint military training and intelligence sharing to maritime patrols and regional counterterrorism efforts. Our armed forces regularly participate in U.S.-led exercises like Flintlock, which strengthens special operations and counterterror capabilities across the Sahel, and Obangame Express, which enhances maritime security coordination in the Gulf of Guinea. These efforts do more than build capacity and interoperability — they forge real operational trust. At home, Togo has prioritized national security by increasing its defense budget from 8.7 percent of total government spending in 2017 to 17.5 percent in 2022 — an investment aimed at modernizing our military and enhancing readiness. These efforts have made our relationship a model of partnership and a cornerstone of regional stability. As U.S. Air Force Major General Kenneth Ekman, Director of the AFRICOM Coordination Element, emphasized in November 2024, 'The partnership between AFRICOM and the Togolese military is essential in promoting peace and security across the West African region. By strengthening this relationship, we not only enhance Togo's defense capabilities but also ensure a united and effective approach to addressing the complex security challenges we face together.' This partnership aligns with the Trump administration's strategic shift toward a leaner U.S. defense footprint in Africa, built around empowering reliable regional partners to take the lead in addressing transnational threats. Togo has embraced this approach — stepping up its operational capabilities and committing to greater regional responsibility. As General Langley noted in front of the House Armed Services Committee, 'Strengthening the capacity of African partners to address security challenges and enhance regional stability reduces the long-term need for U.S. security assistance.' Togo is demonstrating exactly that model of sustainable, partner-led security cooperation. While U.S. law restricts certain forms of direct assistance to Sahelian countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, information sharing remains both legal and vital. Section 7008 of annual appropriations legislation bars most security assistance, but these restrictions do not apply to partners like Togo. Nor do they prevent the U.S. from sharing actionable intelligence with Togo, which can in turn serve as a critical conduit for relaying threat information to frontline states across the Sahel. With the right mechanisms in place, Togo can act as a trusted channel for coordination, helping to ensure that U.S. intelligence reaches those best positioned to act on it — even in countries where direct U.S. engagement is limited by law. The threat posed by terrorist networks in the Sahel cannot be overstated. According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, the region now accounts for over half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide. Lethal and organized groups such as al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara continue to exploit porous borders, local grievances, and weak governance to expand their reach. These extremist networks are no longer confined to the Sahel's core — they are steadily advancing southward into Togo, Ghana, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire, where they are actively seeking access to ports and transit corridors to support smuggling, arms trafficking, and illicit finance. The implications for regional security — and for international partners with strategic interests in West Africa — are profound. Regional security is a prerequisite for economic growth and trade across Africa. The Gulf of Guinea, including Togo's Port of Lomé — the deepest-water port on the West African coast — is a lifeline for inland economies and a vital logistics hub for landlocked countries in the Sahel, a corridor that would be threatened with heightened terrorist activity. The U.S. cannot afford to retreat from the Sahel. Nor should it allow extremist groups to expand their influence unchecked. By strengthening cooperation with capable, willing partners like Togo, and by leveraging Togo as a hub for regional intelligence coordination, the U.S. can regain strategic momentum and help stem the tide of extremist and criminal networks. The road ahead will be difficult. But with the right tools, partners, and political will, we can contain this crisis before it escalates further. The rise of terrorism in the Sahel is not just a regional issue — it is a direct threat to global stability and U.S. national security. Unchecked, these networks will expand, radicalize, and export violence far beyond Africa's borders. Togo stands ready to confront this threat alongside the U.S. — not only to defend peace, but to secure prosperity across the continent.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
TV's Great British menu chef to open Leek market pizza place
An award-winning TV chef is set to open a pizza outlet at a Staffordshire indoor Bateman, who has appeared on BBC Two's Great British Menu, is taking a unit at Leek's Trestle Nanny J's, it is set to open this summer, and gets its name from what his children call his Bateman also runs The Flintlock and Apres Restaurants, in Cheddleton. The chef said he was "incredibly excited" to be bringing Nanny J's to Leek, saying the concept had been in the works for almost two Victorian Trestle and Butter Markets have undergone a £3.4m refurbishment, and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council said food and drink businesses played a key role in drawing people in."The markets are enjoying a real renaissance since re-opening in November last year," said councillor Matt arrival of Mr Bateman's pizza business, alongside a cake and sandwich shop, mean all three of the Trestle Market's new units would be occupied, he added. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Associated Press
28-01-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Flintlock Marketing Demonstrates Targeted Brand Strategy to Support Private Home Care Sector Client
01/28/2025, Chichester // PRODIGY: Feature Story // Flintlock Marketing, a leading brand marketing team, has shared details of its collaborative work with an established home care provider, having embarked on an ambitious strategic project to identify the right ways to extend the thriving business without exceeding capacity or risking standards of care. Flintlock Marketing, with one of its UK bases in Chichester, was a clear choice for the nationwide at-home care team, which has a local head office in the city. The respective teams of specialists worked together to create a unique action plan that has already proven to be remarkably successful. Using Brand Strategy to Expedite Growth in the Private Home Care Space Home care has been in strong demand for some time. It is part of a top five industry within the UK that is increasingly relied on to provide care, support, nursing assistance, and companionship for individuals, couples, and families who need help to remain safe, well, and comfortable at home. The home care team, launched by a former Olympian in 2012, had already seen enormous success and rapid growth. However, it had reached a point at which the level of need was outstripping capacity without a clear, tactical way to catalyse faster growth in line with demand. Looking for insights and input to evaluate the best opportunities to grow the business in a sustainable, responsible and future-focused way, the brand turned to Flintlock Marketing to see how the branding and marketing experts would tackle the scenario—equal parts opportunity and challenge. Flintlock began with an in-depth research and discovery exercise, looking at varied aspects such as: This was followed by a leadership strategic discussion to interrogate potential pathways to growth, landing on two possible options, including an innovative and largely overlooked franchise network model. Pinpointing this as a brand direction enabled Flintlock to begin work collaborating with the broader team to develop a solid strategy and marketing plan to get the ball rolling. The Vital Importance of Branding in Home Care Franchising The owners of the home care business recognised the franchise opportunity but previously had not had a structured marketing plan. A series of workshops and discussions provided sharp focus and clarity, highlighting how the company needed to package itself and its branding to showcase what it could offer to like-minded prospective franchisees. Flintlock used its dynamic Spark workshops, liaising with owners, stakeholders, and a pilot franchisee, to discover valuable insights that informed the branding process and vocalised the core values and missions that underpin the company's approach to at-home care. These included the need to concentrate on processes, care capabilities, culture, and purpose-driven ethics, ensuring franchises were structured to uphold the levels of compassion, respect, and dignity embedded in the original brand. Flintlock Marketing's Strategic Pillars at Work in the Home Care Sector As a final puzzle piece, the Flintlock team developed a brand identity and communication tone, collating points of evidence to encapsulate the supportive and partnership franchising approach the business wanted to offer. They distilled data and research into an articulate, repeatable proposition. After the client's business formed a dedicated franchise team, Flintlock assisted the strategy into the action phase, developing relationships within the franchise space, establishing connections and building channels and content calendars to pave the way. One of Flintlock's co-founders, Tasha Gladman, says, 'This project was incredibly rewarding, consulting with a client with a keen focus and understanding of the value, position and strength of their brand and looking for new input to grasp the right ways to inject fresh growth potential into the company—while keeping values and respectful, quality care at the heart of the business. Following completion and acting as an outsourced marketing team, we've seen the team achieve fantastic accolades, with consistently high regulatory outcomes, an MBE awarded to the founder for services to care, and one branch now having extended to no less than 15 territories.' Flintlock's brand strategists continue to support the company, progressing towards new targets for 2025 and partnering with other specialist agencies to ensure that ongoing marketing efforts are strategy-led and cohesive. Further information about Flintlock Marketing's work is available through the company's website and case studies, including results, outcomes and successes achieved through brand formation, strategy and development projects. Flintlock is an expert UK brand marketing and branding specialist agency. We blend pure creativity, professionalism, expertise and skill, extracting the knowledge and value our incredible team provides to create brand strategies that feel like home, and encapsulate what makes you you and how you communicate those intangibles to your target customer to make your business a brand they would choose over anybody else. 01243 573600
