Togo: Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs will be in Lomé tomorrow

Economic governance

Monday, 15 January 2024 16:38

Togo: Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs will be in Lomé tomorrow

(Togo First) - Wang Yi, China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be in Lomé, Togo, tomorrow, January 16. The Asian official will be in the Togolese capital for two days. There, he will meet his counterpart, Robert Dussey, and various local officials.

Yi is on an official African tour. Ivory Coast, Egypt, and Tunisia are the other countries on his agenda.

Wang Yi will go to Egypt, Tunisia, Togo, and Ivory Coast from January 13 to 18, said last week a spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The same source noted that this is the “34th consecutive year that a Chinese minister of foreign affairs comes at the beginning of the year for the first annual visit to Africa”.

Yi’s trip focuses on implementing the fruits of the China-Africa Leaders Dialogue. He will also discuss the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC 2024) with the African side, and explore ways to bolster the relationship between China and African countries, especially Togo.

China is one of Togo’s biggest trade partners. It is the country's premier import source. Between January and July 2023, trade between the two stood at $2.3 billion, up 14% year-on-year.

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.