Covid-19: After the UK and US, France also considers Togo among the safest destinations

Health

Friday, 18 February 2022 17:55

Covid-19: After the UK and US, France also considers Togo among the safest destinations

(Togo First) - France recently classified Togo among the least risky countries, regarding the pandemic. The announcement comes as the European country relaxes sanitary measures as vaccination levels worldwide go up.

Togo is, according to Paris, among countries with “negligible or moderate circulation of the virus, in the absence of an emerging variant of concern.” France thus walks in the steps of the UK and the US which declared Togo safe in 2021.

Besides Togo, other West African nations in the “green” are Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Senegal.

For Togolese travelers, France’s announcement means they should have less trouble going to the European country. In effect, “no more tests are required at departure” for those vaccinated (with vaccines recognized by the EU). “Once again, a proof of full vaccination is enough to arrive in France, regardless of the country of origin, as was the case before the spread of the Omicron variant,” said Paris.

“For unvaccinated travelers, the obligation to present a negative test to travel to France remains, but the measures on arrival (test, isolation) do not apply to those from green-listed countries,” the French government added.

Unlike Togo, countries such as the United States, Canada, Niger, Benin, or Nigeria are still in the "Orange" category.

So far, over 2.6 million doses of vaccine have been administered in Togo - that equals 30.4 doses per 100 people or 17.1% of the population who received at least one dose of the vaccine, against 13% who are fully vaccinated (with two doses).

Last week, the National Coordination for the Management of the Response to Covid-19 (CNGR) confirmed the sharp decline in cases recorded in the country, contrasting with the peak registered at the end of 2021 due to the Omicron variant.

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.