Togo Hosts OECD Francophone Academy to Combat Illicit Financial Flows

Economic governance

Wednesday, 18 September 2024 09:55

Togo Hosts OECD Francophone Academy to Combat Illicit Financial Flows

(Togo First) - Togo currently hosts the OECD Francophone Academy. Launched on September 16 and ending on September 20, the one-week training aims to combat illicit financial flows and improve domestic resource mobilization in participating countries. The meeting is held at the Institut de Formation Fiscale et Douanière de l'OTR (IFDD-OTR).

Among the key figures present at the opening ceremony were Mawussé Afidenyigba, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Economy and Finance, Phillipe Tchodié, head of the Togolese Revenue Office, and Augustin Favereau, French Ambassador to Togo.

The focus of the initiative is "VAT fraud investigations". and will run until September 20.

The event should help Togo consolidate its position as a regional training hub for financial crime prevention.

"This is the first time that French trainees have come to Africa for training, and Togo is honored to host this academy," said Kibalo Bangna, Director of IFDD-OTR. He added that if the program meets its goals over the next five years, they may sign a long-term agreement with the OECD.

The academy aims to build capacity among various government agencies involved in tackling financial crime by training personnel from financial administrations, police, gendarmerie, judiciary, and other related sectors. Experts from the OECD will provide the training.

The OECD Francophone Academy gathered 35 French-speaking trainees from fifteen African countries (Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Morocco, Rwanda, Tunisia) and France.

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.