A new ROAD think tank established at the right time, says Sandra Ablamba Johnson

Economic governance

Monday, 17 May 2021 15:37

A new ROAD think tank established at the right time, says Sandra Ablamba Johnson

(Togo First) - The creation of the A new ROAD (A new Round-Table On African Debts) think tank comes at the right time, says Sanda Ablamba Johnson, Minister-Secretary General of the Togolese Presidency, and also one of the founding members of the group of experts advocating for the financing of African economies at fair conditions.

The ceremony to launch the think tank which aims to dedramatize the risk induced by African nation’s debts revolved around the following themes: “Cost of debt in Africa: which obstacles are we facing and how to tackle them?” and “Debt: a tool fostering the emergence of new national and pan-African champions in strategic sectors.”

According to Ablamba Johnson, “asking ourselves these questions now will help African countries get financing at better conditions.” “This”, she adds, “depends on the cost of debt. It is the key element explaining the situation in which we currently are.”

The purpose of A new ROAD is to “initially provide a white paper of recommendations to encourage banks and lenders to take into consideration the real risk in Africa, instead of the perceived risk which doesn’t align with realities and reforms in place”. Moreover, said the think tank’s founding members, another objective will be to “foster the development of the continent and the emergence of national and pan-African champions by proposing innovative mechanisms for sharing risks and responsibilities between the public and private sectors”.

Séna Akoda

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.