Togo Implements Territorial Marketing Strategy in Kpalimé, Kara, and Aného

Investments

Monday, 03 February 2025 14:54

Togo Implements Territorial Marketing Strategy in Kpalimé, Kara, and Aného

(Togo First) - Togo has launched a territorial marketing strategy to boost the economic and tourism potential of five key towns: Atakpamé, Kpalimé, Blitta, Kara, and Aného. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Industry and Investment Promotion (MIPI) and supported by GIZ, was introduced in Atakpamé on January 30, 2025, by Minister Manuella Santos.

Through the project, the government seeks to reduce the concentration of development in Lomé, the capital, where over 60% of businesses and 71% of jobs are located. This strategy aims to promote regional assets, attract investors, improve infrastructure, develop key industries, and grow tourism. Set to run until 2029, the program will involve setting up special economic zones (ZES), building tourist circuits, and establishing industrial units tailored to each town.

Kpalimé: Tourism and Agribusiness

Kpalimé is known for its natural beauty and handicrafts but lacks structured tourism. There, the project includes building modern hotels, developing ecotourism trails, and improving attractions like Kloto Mountain and Womé waterfalls. Authorities also aim to boost local processing of coffee and cocoa.

Kara: Building a Training and Agro-Industrial Center

Kara is developing into a training and agro-industrial hub. With its university and technical schools, the city aims to train a skilled workforce for the agri-food industry. It is also home to an agropolis development project in its pilot phase. The goal is to create processing units for key crops like cereals, shea, soya, and cotton.

A solar power plant will also be installed in the northern city to meet growing energy demands and ensure a stable power supply for local industries. The plan is to transform Kara into a growth hub for Northern Togo, focusing on training, industrialization, and innovation.

Aného: Ecotourism and Heritage Enhancement

Aného, the former colonial capital, plans to leverage its history and natural beauty to become a tourist destination. The government aims to restore important sites, improve hotel services, and create a tourist circuit linking Aného with cultural sites in neighboring Benin. The program will also promote seaside tourism and introduce ecological initiatives to protect local biodiversity.

Atakpamé: Evolving Agricultural and Industrial Center

Strategically located between the north and south of Togo, Atakpamé is set to become a regional hub for agri-food processing. The town has fertile land suitable for growing yams, vegetables, and tropical fruits, along with a tradition of livestock and fish farming. The goal is to attract industries that can process these products locally, reducing reliance on imports and adding value. Marketing campaigns will encourage investing in road and energy infrastructure to support new businesses. Atakpamé also wants to highlight its cultural assets to attract visitors through nature tourism and handicrafts.

Blitta: Facing Challenges in Setting Up a Special Economic Zone

Blitta, located in central Togo, is a key part of the country’s development plan. With its large land area and low urbanization, the town has a large untapped agricultural potential, especially in cash crops and livestock. To unlock this potential, the government plans to create a special economic zone (ZES) to attract industrial investments and promote local processing of agricultural products.

The strategy also includes upgrading transportation infrastructure and building a logistics network to turn Blitta into an agro-industrial distribution hub. This will require training local workers and improving access to basic services, like electricity and clean water.

The Togolese government has dedicated a budget to promote regional development and enhance territorial branding. This funding will be complemented by significant investments in infrastructure and special economic zones (SEZs), supported through public-private partnerships (PPPs) and international donors.

A Funding Plan to Support Aspirations

To attract investors, the government will organize investment forums in the five target cities, connecting local authorities with national and foreign investors. The strategy emphasizes digital tools, including social media campaigns, multimedia content, dedicated city platforms, and cultural events like festivals.

This ambitious plan aims to rebalance Togo's economic development by leveraging the potential of its regions.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

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)

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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.