The World Bank has unveiled its 2024 report on Women, Business, and the Law in Lomé
Monday, 11 March 2024 17:44 
(Togo First) - The World Bank Group launched its 2024 report "Women, Business and the Law" in Lomé on March 8, on International Women's Day. The launch was attended by World Bank Vice President Ousmane Diagana, Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency Sandra Ablamba Johnson, and several officials.
The new report focuses on existing gender-equal laws, frameworks facilitating their implementation, and expert opinions. It assessed 10 indicators: security, mobility, work, pay, marriage, parenthood, childcare, entrepreneurship, assets, and retirement.
The report indicates that "No country in the world guarantees equal opportunities for women, not even the wealthiest economies." It found that on average, women enjoy only 64% of the legal protection afforded to men, across the 190 economies assessed.
The Bank emphasized its commitment to closing gender gaps. Its new gender action plan for West and Central Africa "focuses on empowering women and finding the best ways to address the challenges hindering women's full development," said Ousmane Diagana.
Togo stood out positively in the World Bank's new report. The West African country scored the highest among sub-Saharan African economies studied, with 97.5 points, a 15.6-point increase compared to a year earlier.
With a score exceeding the African average of 74 out of 100, Togo ranks 1st in Africa out of 53 countries and 19th globally out of 190 countries. The coastal country is surpassed only by certain Western states, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, with perfect scores of 100 out of 100.
"This impressive performance reflects the significant progress made by the country in gender equality across several key areas and once again confirms Togo's reformist status," emphasized Sandra Johnson.
This achievement is attributed to reforms implemented by Togolese authorities in areas such as paternity, marriage, entrepreneurship, and access to assets. Notably, a series of laws have been passed to amend the family code, penal code, and labor code, bringing about beneficial improvements and major changes for women.
Esaïe Edoh
