Togo: 60th ordinary session of OAPI’s administration council recently held in Lomé

Economic governance

Thursday, 10 December 2020 15:23

Togo: 60th ordinary session of OAPI’s administration council recently held in Lomé

(Togo First) - On Dec. 8, the ministers of industry and experts from the OAPI’s 17 member States gathered in Lomé for the 60th ordinary session of the entity’s administration council.

The meeting was held at the 2 Février hotel. It was chaired by Togo’s minister of trade, transport, industry, private sector development and local consumption promotion, and chairman of the OAPI’s administration board, Kodjo Adedze.

The ministers debated on many technical matters including the implementation of a mechanism to finance invention and innovation, the amendment of the regulations governing the organization and the functioning of the High Commission of Appeal, the jurisdictional body of the OAPI, or the regulations implementing the revised Bangui Agreement (especially some of its annexes that came into effect last month.

At the meeting, Togo, Chad and Guinea Bissau presented texts approving the ratification of the Bangui Agreement, falling in the framework of their adhesion to the OAPI.

“Intellectual property has a key place in our 2018-2022 national development plan,” said Adedze while adding that “this vast political program cannot materialize without valorized results of research, more specifically the strategic exploitation of intellectual property, the continuous improvement of business climate and the implementation of the new investment code.”

Lastly, the Togolese minister of trade expressed his desire to witness the emergence of “a system ensuring the mutual recognition of industrial property rights similar to ZLECA, make them national priorities, and protect them.”

Let it be recalled that last week, Togo’s first documentation center for intellectual property was inaugurated. It cost CFA500 million, provided by the OAPI.

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.