Togo: Losses induced by climate hazards stood at CFA26 billion in 2020

Economic governance

Friday, 10 November 2023 17:42

Togo: Losses induced by climate hazards stood at CFA26 billion in 2020

(Togo First) - Climate hazards cost Togo CFA26 billion in 2020, due to productivity losses. The figure, equivalent to 1.23% of the national GDP, was released by the Ministry of the Environment. The same year, the country lost 6,900 hectares of arable land and 9,000 tons of yields to flooding.

The ministry disclosed the figures on November 9 in Lomé, ahead of the COP28 Conference which is set to take place from November 30 to December 12, 2023, in Dubai.

"It goes without saying that the phenomenon of global warming will continue to seriously hamper our march towards development and prosperity if nothing is done to change the development paradigm and steer our economies towards a low-carbon development model that is resilient to these changes," said the Minister of Environment.

The worst years in the past decade

According to the National Civil Protection Agency's (ANPC) 2022 disaster risk assessment report, the impact of climate hazards, particularly flooding, worsened between 2018 and 2020.

The country was most affected by floods, storms, and high winds in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The proportion of the the population affected by these phenomena rose by more than 700% between 2018 and 2019, from 2,875 to 24,902 people, and almost doubled, between 2019 and 2020, to 45,361 people, according to the report.

Most affected prefectures

In 2022, the prefectures most affected by climate hazards in Togo were the Bas-Mono prefecture, with 7,989 flood victims; Tône prefecture, with 6,148 victims of floods, fires, and high winds; Lacs prefecture, with 5,127 victims of floods and fires; and Est-Mono prefecture, with 3,441 flood victims.

Nevertheless, in recent years, Togo has strengthened its legal and legislative system relative to the fight against climate change. Last May, the government announced it was ready to pass a law to fight climate change; and a little earlier, it had adopted a bill to boost the country’s carbon storage.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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.