ACP-EU Partnership: EU and Togo talk economic governance and security, among others

Politics

Wednesday, 09 November 2022 16:03

ACP-EU Partnership: EU and Togo talk economic governance and security, among others

(Togo First) - On Monday, November 7, 2022, Lomé hosted the first session of the partnership dialogue between Togo and the European Union (EU) within the framework of the new Partnership Agreement between the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) and the European Union (OACPS-EU).

Mostly, the issue of security in northern Togo, the impact of the war in Ukraine, decentralization, upcoming elections, economic governance, and the fight against corruption were the topics discussed during the meeting.

Regarding decentralization and the upcoming elections, the EU said the Togolese government should sustain its efforts, especially relative to the financing of municipalities and the inclusion of political actors.

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Also, the Europeans praised Lomé for the various steps taken to mitigate inflation and make life easier for the Togolese people, especially the poor. They then recognized Togo’s commitment to improving economic government and tackling corruption through initiatives such as assessing public finances and adopting a national anti-corruption strategy.

Togo, it should be noted, recently received €55 million from the EU for two key projects. During the meeting, the Togolese part reassured the EU representatives, saying they will “use the dialogue’s conclusions to elaborate promising strategies that will help improve populations’ living conditions.”

The new partnership agreement between the ACP and the EU was initialed on April 16, 2021, in Brussels, Belgium.

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)

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.