“Health is a priority for social cohesion in Togo”

“Health is a priority for social cohesion in Togo” – Faure Gnassingbé

Health

Tuesday, 23 August 2022 17:11

“Health is a priority for social cohesion in Togo” – Faure Gnassingbé

(Togo First) - Togo is hosting the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa. At the event’s opening, on Aug. 22, Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbé, said health is a priority for social cohesion, a priority which is at the heart of his government's development policy. The leader then went on to list some of the steps taken by the national health system.

According to Gnassingbé, one of the goals of the 2025 government roadmap is to provide health coverage and access to basic health services for all. This goal, the leader stressed, aligns with the WHO’s 13th general work program. The latter seeks to add a billion people to the institution’s universal health coverage scheme.

The Togolese leader was addressing a crowd of nearly 400 health actors, including WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, 47 health ministers, as well as health experts and partners.

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Regarding the efforts to improve the Togolese health system, Faure Gnassingbé noted that his government set up a sub-ministry for universal access to healthcare, within the health ministry, and adopted a bill that establishes universal health insurance. The latter is managed by the National Health Insurance Institute.

Another program President Gnassingbé mentioned is “Wezou”. This is an initiative that benefits pregnant women and newborns.

"Overall, the availability of human resources has improved, with the decentralization of educational institutions and health facilities, through the construction and equipment of structures according to the health map. This has led to a significant increase in geographical accessibility to health care, which is now estimated at 76%," said the Togolese President.

The 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa will close on August 26, 2022. Throughout the event, participants will discuss key issues such as non-communicable diseases, climate change, epidemics, and health financing. Subsequently, they will draw a new health strategy for Africa.

Written by: Esaïe Edoh

Translated from French by:Schadrac Akinocho

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.