Togo: Taïrou Bagbiegue takes office as Governor of the Maritime Region

Economic governance

Saturday, 16 November 2024 07:38

Togo: Taïrou Bagbiegue takes office as Governor of the Maritime Region

(Togo First) - Taïrou Bagbiegue is the new Governor of Togo’s Maritime Region. Appointed on August 23, 2024, by President Faure Gnassingbé, Bagbiegue officially took office on November 12. The inauguration ceremony took place in Tsévié, the region's capital, and was attended by various political and traditional leaders.

Col. Awate Hodabalo, the Minister in charge of Territorial Administration presided over the ceremony. He underscored the challenges associated with administrative deconcentration, stating "Deconcentration remains a vast undertaking and a huge task. Each player must play his part alongside the government and the governor."

In his address, Taïrou Bagbiegue highlighted the importance of harmonious cooperation among the decentralized services of various sectoral ministries. "From now on, we'll all have to work together to ensure the success of development projects initiated by the government and involving our region. It is my duty to ensure that this dynamic is a real strength, based as it is on trust, sharing, and cohesion. I am committed to sharing my experiences and initiatives with you," he remarked.

Bagbiegue previously held several high-profile roles, including Minister of Mines and Energy since 2012 and Minister of Technical Education, Training, and Professional Integration since 2020.

The week before he took over, Zouréhatou Kassah-Traoré was inaugurated as Governor of Greater Lomé. According to recent government announcements, three additional appointments are anticipated: Affoh Atcha-Dedji as governor of the Savanes region, Komlan Adjitowou in the Kara region, and Dadja Maganawé in the Plateaux region.

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.