Digital Economy: Togo prepares to be one of Africa’s giants, World Bank’s Diagana says

ITC

Friday, 29 October 2021 17:23

Digital Economy: Togo prepares to be one of Africa’s giants, World Bank’s Diagana says

(Togo First) - Presently in Togo on an official visit, Ousmane Diagana, Vice President of World Bank for Central and West Africa, was at the Lomé Data Center - the country’s first-tier III-certified data center - on Oct. 29.

Diagana visited the facility, among others, with Cina Lawson, the Togolese Minister of the digital economy, Coralie Gevers, the World Bank’s chief of operations in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Togo, and Awa Cissé Wagué, representative of the Bretton Woods institution in Togo.

Besides presenting the infrastructure, Lawson showcased Togo’s ambitions regarding the digital industry, while pointing out issues faced in the power sector, especially in the clean power sector.

"Togo is digitizing rapidly, and I think it's time for us to establish sustainable models," said the Togolese minister, adding that "we would like some of the good things we do in Togo to also be exported and recognized elsewhere.”

"I think that through this kind of initiative, Togo is preparing to be one of Africa’s giants in this digital economy era, not only to develop its economy but also to serve as a model that can inspire others to have similar ambitions," said for his part, Ousmane Diagana.

"We are very happy, as a partner institution of the World Bank Group, to be associated with this project. This is the beginning of an adventure, and we must ensure that it is successful," he added.

Located at the heart of the administrative zone in Lomé, the Lomé Data Center spreads over one hectare. It was built using a CFA12.7 billion financing provided by the World Bank, under the WARCIP regional development program

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.