PEPFAR: To date, Togo has received about $50M from the U.S. to better fight and treat AIDS

Health

Monday, 05 February 2024 18:38

PEPFAR: To date, Togo has received about $50M from the U.S. to better fight and treat AIDS

(Togo First) - The U.S. has spent close to $50 million to fight and treat AIDS in Togo since 2019. The funds were provided through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). To date, the American program has helped provide over 35,000 people with antiretrovirals, as well as improve the level of patient care and viral load suppression in Togo.

Dans cette vidéo, Dr Nirav Shah du @CDCgov salue les succès de la collaboration santé Togo-USA et annonce de nouveaux investissements. Célébrons et visons plus haut! #CDC #PMI @nirav_uscdc @PEPFAR pic.twitter.com/xluQ4gEFT5
— U.S. Embassy Togo (@USEmbassyLome) February 5, 2024

The data was shared last week on the sidelines of a visit to Lomé by Dr. Nirav Shah, Deputy Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was Dr. Shah’s first official trip to West Africa.

"I wanted to come to Togo especially to celebrate the public health successes that the US government and the Togolese government have achieved by working together," Shah said during his stay in Lomé.

In the Togolese capital, the U.S. official met with Togo’s Minister of Health, Pr. Moustafa Mijiyawa. They discussed the U.S.-Togo partnership and its prospects.

41usn

"We are very proud of the progress CDC has made in partnership with the government of Togo. We would also like to congratulate the government of Togo on the progress that has been made in eliminating four neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This progress is so significant that the World Health Organization recently awarded Togo a bronze medal in recognition of its achievement," added Nirav Shah.

Indeed, the West African country has been recognized by the WHO for having eliminated four NTDs: Guinea worm in 2011, lymphatic filariasis in 2017 (the first country in Africa), Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness in 2020, and trachoma in 2022. This allowed Togo to secure over $22 million from the USAID.

Another major health area where the U.S. and Togo collaborate is the fight against malaria. Last year, Togo joined the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and the West African country has received over $20 million in funding through the Initiative for the 2023-2024 period.

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.