Could the African continental free trade be launched in January 2021?

Economic governance

Tuesday, 07 July 2020 13:57

Could the African continental free trade be launched in January 2021?

(Togo First) - The African continental free trade area (AfCFTA) could be operational in January 2021, the Ecofin agency reported quoting Wamkele Mene, secretary-general of the organization.

The AfCFTA should have been implemented earlier but was postponed, and even suspended, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The next Assembly of African Heads of State - scheduled for January 2, 2021 - could be the right opportunity for the states that signed the AfCFTA agreement to launch the free trade area. Until then, the priority is to complete negotiations related to trade tariffs and other protocols falling under the agreement.

The AfCFTA aims at deepening Africa’s economic integration and establishing a continental customs union. The agreement, if implemented, will give birth to the largest free trade area in the world, with a cumulative GDP of more than $3,400 billion and a potential customer market of 1.3 billion people. In its framework, member States will liberalize at least 97% of their tariff lines and 90% of their imports.

In Togo, the ministry of trade has been working for some months now on a national strategy for the implementation of the AfCFTA. The country has identified local value chains that are likely to benefit most from the area and they are agriculture, phosphate processing, and cooking oil production.

REFORMS OVERVIEW

STARTING A BUSINESS (more info)

At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

Compared to some years ago when it was one of the lowest rankers under the Doing Business’ Enforcing Contracts indicator, Togo, leveraging many efforts to improve its business climate, was able to jump significantly on the index in the recent years... .

CONTRACT EXECUTION (more info)

Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

TRADING ACROSS BORDERS (more info)

In comparison to previous years,Togo has significantly improved its ranking under the“Trading across borders” indicator by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (more info)

After moving from the 133rd to 127th place under the 2020 Doing Business’ construction permit index, Togo intends to reiterate this feat in the coming edition of the global ranking. To this end, it has introduced this year multiple reforms.

GETTING ELECTRICITY (more info)

Over the past two years, Togo’s ranking under the Doing Business’ Getting electricity and water indicator has increased consistently. Owing this performance to multiple reforms aimed at making it easier for businesses to access power and water, Lomé plans to introduce even more reforms this year to keep up its improvements.

REGISTERING A PROPERTY (more info)

Out of all the 'Doing Business’ indicators, Property Registration is where Togo has improved the most since 2018. Indeed, after spending years in the lowest part of this ranking, the country now seeks to beat Rwanda which is the best performer on this index in Africa. To do so, Lomé has been introducing many reforms, with the latest batch implemented this year.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (more info)

From professionalization to digitization, through legislative regulations, Togo’s public procurement framework is constantly being modernized. Several reforms have been implemented to improve the sector much to the benefit of the private sector, which is the focus of the National Development Plan.

PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

To improve its business environment, Togo introduced some important reforms related to the payment of tax and duties. From the replacement of some taxes to the cancellation of others through exemptions, the country has only one objective: offer the most attractive tax framework to investors and economic operators. To achieve this, the authorities relied on digitization.