Togo Hosts 4th Scientific Days on HIV and AIDS, Focuses on Evidence-Based Interventions

Health

Tuesday, 16 July 2024 18:25

Togo Hosts 4th Scientific Days on HIV and AIDS, Focuses on Evidence-Based Interventions

(Togo First) - In Togo, the 4th Scientific Days on HIV and AIDS ended on July 12 in Lomé. Organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the National Council for the Fight against AIDS and STIs, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, the event’s theme was "Building interventions from scientific evidence".

The meeting focused on drawing strategies and ways of improving health interventions in the management of pandemics, drawing on lessons learned from the national response in the post-COVID-19 context and the results of recent research carried out in Togo, the African sub-region, and around the world.

"To improve the quality of service delivery, stakeholders must have scientific evidence, and it is based on this evidence that robust interventions must be built whose implementation will have a positive impact on beneficiary populations," said Wotobé Kokou, the Secretary General of the Ministry in charge of Health.

At the end of the meeting, several recommendations were made, including the decentralization of health services to improve access to care in regions less affected by HIV. It was also suggested that more financial and human resources be mobilized to combat the disease in Greater Lomé, where HIV prevalence is ten times higher than in the rest of the country.

These scientific days are expected to help bring local players up to date with international news and highlight the operational research carried out by those working in the field. They should contribute to improving health interventions, to achieve the "95-95-95" targets by 2026 - meaning that 95% of people living with HIV know their serostatus, 95% of these people are on life-saving antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of people on treatment have a suppressed viral load, a prerequisite for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good health and well-being) by 2030.

Esaïe Edoh

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.