Togo welcomes a new British ambassador, Harriet Claire Thompson

Economic governance

Wednesday, 29 June 2022 12:24

Togo welcomes a new British ambassador, Harriet Claire Thompson

(Togo First) - The UK’s new ambassador to Togo, Harriet Claire Thompson, presented her credentials to the Head of the State, Faure Gnassingbe, on Monday, June 27th. On the occasion, she renewed her country’s commitment to boost cooperation with Togo, in sectors like security, trade, infrastructure, health, and business.

"It is truly an honor to serve as the UK's ambassador to Togo. It is a beautiful country. I am here to strengthen relations in the areas of security, trade, infrastructure, health, and business and to explore new opportunities for cooperation," Thompson declared.

She also congratulated Togo for its recent adhesion to the Commonwealth, an association of nearly 60 countries and more than 2.5 billion people. Togo officially joined the association at the closing session of the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, on June 24-25, 2022.

Commenting on this subject, Thompson, who is also the British High Commissioner for Ghana, and non-resident ambassador to Burkina Faso and Benin, noted that “Togo should be congratulated for joining the Commonwealth. Given the importance of Commonwealth values in the world, it is good to have Togo as a member. It is something worth lauding.”

1 Presidency

According to the Togolese Presidency, now that Togo has joined the Commonwealth, existing partnerships between Togo and the UK should experience “a qualitative leap.”

"Our country will also benefit from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) for the implementation of priority projects of the Government Roadmap 2020-2025," said the Togolese Presidency.

In this regard, Thompson, who is based in Accra, said: "I am also here with my colleagues from UKEF, our export credit agency, to explore opportunities in infrastructure, transport, health, etc. ... "

Indeed, Louis Taylor, Executive Director of UK Export Finance (UKEF), was also in Lomé with the new ambassador. UKEF, let’s recall, has mobilized 600 million pounds sterling in 2018 to support several projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

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.