Togo moves up two places in the Human Freedom Index 2021

Economic governance

Thursday, 20 January 2022 14:12

Togo moves up two places in the Human Freedom Index 2021

(Togo First) - Togo moved up two places in the latest Human Freedom Index 2021, a report that measures the level of individual, civil, and economic freedom in 165 jurisdictions and states around the world. The ranking was released in December 2021.

The seventh edition of this assessment, produced by American and Canadian think tanks, Cato Institute and Fraser Institute, rates countries on 82 separate indicators of freedom (including the rule of law, safety and security, freedom of movement, religion, association, assembly and civil society, expression and information, and freedom of international trade), with scores on a scale of 0 to 10.

In this edition, Togo ranked 23rd in Africa and 113th in the world, with an overall score of 6.50. In detail, the West African country scored 6.6 on "individual freedom", 6.35 on "economic freedom", and 6.5 on the "human freedom" indicator.

In the sub-region, the country performed relatively less well than its neighbors, notably Ghana (70th in the world), Benin (76th in the world), Côte d'Ivoire (95th in the world), and Burkina Faso (100th in the world).

At the continental level, the top three are Cape Verde (36th in the world, with a score of 8.26 out of 10), Mauritius (46th in the world, with a score of 8.07), and Botswana (53rd, with a score of 7.90). The three least "free" countries in Africa, according to the authors of the ranking are Burundi, Somalia, and Sudan, with scores of 5.02, 4.93, and 4.48 respectively.

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.