Edem Kokou Tengue: From Maersk to Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection

Logistics

Saturday, 03 October 2020 19:00

Edem Kokou Tengue: From Maersk to Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection

(Togo First) - Edem Kokou Tengue is the new Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection in Togo.

The announcement was made on Thursday by the Secretary-General of the Presidency, Sandra Johnson. Edem Tengue, who was until his appointment the Managing Director of the Togolese branch of Danish integrated shipping company Maersk, joins a new government focused on the national development plan (PND) - a government led by Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé (who was appointed Prime Minister a few days ago, the first woman to ever hold the title in Togo)

A graduate of Sciences Po Paris, the University of Birmingham, the prestigious Imperial College of London, and Harvard Business School, Tengue is an expert in the maritime ecosystem. After he was trained from 2003 to 2005 in Copenhagen by the Maersk Group, he became the assistant to the CFO of the Group's Regional Office, which covers all of Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland) and the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).

Next, Edem Tengue was sent home to take over the financial management of Maersk’s three companies: Maersk Togo S.A., Damco Togo S.A., and Lomé Terminal service. At the time, the group was running to take over handling activities at the Port of Lomé.

In 2017, Tengue - also an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) - was one of the 20 Young Leaders of the French African foundation. The following year, Choiseul named him among the Young Economic Leaders for Tomorrow, a select ranking that included personalities such as French President Emmanuel Macron.

Though he was elected deputy in the HAHO electoral district during the legislative elections of December 20, 2018, he preferred business to politics, a path he can no longer avoid.

Last year, he became the president of the Professional Association of Shipping and Vessel Consignment Companies of Togo (NAVI-TOGO).

At his new position, the 40-year old’s main mission consists of advancing Togo’s national development plan. The latter mainly aims to make the country a first-class logistics hub in the subregion, by leveraging the assets of the Port Autonomy of Lomé.

Challenges that the former Maersk executive will face include water security issues (notably tackling maritime piracy), providing professional training locally, consolidating the regional position of Lomé’s port and its contribution to the national budget. To these add the old issue of cabotage in the Gulf of Guinea.

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)

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.