Togolese parliament authorizes ratification of Malabo Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection

ITC

Friday, 02 July 2021 02:05

Togolese parliament authorizes ratification of Malabo Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection

(Togo First) - Last Tuesday, the Togolese parliament gave its approval for the government to ratify the Malabo Convention of Cybersecurity. The latter was signed by the African Union (AU) on June 27, 2014, in Equatorial Guinea.

Once the convention is ratified, Togo will be able to have tools to reinforce the institutional and legal frameworks of digital transactions, boost cybersecurity and fight cybercrime.

Also, the West African country will conform to the harmonized regional and cooperation standards imposed in the cybersecurity area.

According to Yawa Tsegan, President of the Togolese Assembly, passing the law “confirms once again the commitment and will of the President of the Republic to use digital technologies to leverage Togo’s sustainable development while ensuring the security and protection of personal data for all citizens.”

Commenting on the development as well, General Yark Damehane, minister of security and civil protection, said the bill supports the government’s efforts to make the country a digital and logistics hub in West Africa.

Last February, to tackle cybersecurity issues emerging in Togo, the government put in place a special task force: the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT.tg).

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)

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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.