Here are the 10 young Togolese selected for the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship

Education

Thursday, 30 May 2019 13:29

Here are the 10 young Togolese selected for the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship

(Togo First) - This year, ten young Togolese, six women and four men, were selected to benefit from the Mandela Washington Fellowship – YALI launched by former US President Barack Obama in 2014.

The youth will be trained over a six-week period at some of the biggest US universities. The courses, which combine theory and practice, are in the following category: business and entrepreneurship, civic engagement and public administration.

At the end of the six weeks, the participants (700 overall) will attend mentorship and networking workshops for three days in Washington DC. They will also on this occasion meet with prominent figures.

In Togo, selected beneficiaries are:

Civic engagement:

Adzo Agouvi, Managing Director, Cathina House International

Hamdiya Katchirika, Journalist and blogger, specialised in women leadership issues

Ayi Renaud Dossavi, Journalist at Togofirst, and writer

Peace Vera Ahadji, Project manager and founder of Hands from above

Hombalotouna Attegoua, Administrative assistant, in charge of water and sanitation at Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement (JVE)

Public administration :

Komi Ognadon Aokou, Analyst at Tony Blair Institute of Global Change

Sonia Afi Akpedze Mitchikpe, works at Eco Activist of Governance and Law Enforcement (EAGL)

Business and entrepreneurship

Eklou Ida Amemassovor, programmer who trains young African talents at Afriworkers

Délali Akossiwa Kpotufe, works at Maison TV5 Monde

Kondi Komi-K Nusianunyoa, Ceo of E-Media

YALI is a program that supports Young African leaders in their efforts to promote growth and prosperity, boost democratic governance and foster peace and security in Africa.

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.