Togo Ranks First Among UEMOA Countries in Latest Human Development Index

Public Management

Thursday, 11 July 2024 03:52

Togo Ranks First Among UEMOA Countries in Latest Human Development Index

(Togo First) - Sandra Johnson, Secretary General of Togo’s Presidency, met the press people last week on July 4. She told them about the steps that allowed the country to rank first among WAEMU countries in the latest Human Development Index (HDI) report. Johnson was with Yawa Kouigan, the Minister of Communication.

Togo scored 0.547 in 2023-2024 on the report, against 0.539 in 2021-2022. This is the fifth consecutive year that the country tops the ranking at the WAEMU level. It was fourth at the ECOWAS level.

Madame @SandraA_JOHNSON, Ministre, Secrétaire général de la Présidence de la République a présidé ce 04 juillet 2024 à Lomé, un atelier de dissémination à l’endroit des médias sur l’Indice de développement humain (IDH), en présence de Madame @YawaKouigan, ministre de la… pic.twitter.com/LTLRlmwaVh
— Présidence Togolaise/Togolese Presidency (@PresidenceTg) July 4, 2024

"Togo has chosen human-centered development, the most difficult process in economics," Sandra Johnson told the press.

The achievement is attributable to Lomé’s increased efforts in key human development sectors, such as health, education, access to drinking water and electricity, improving the living environment, infrastructure, agriculture, and food security. Togo can now aim to move into the medium HDI category, with a score of at least 0.550.

The HDI is a composite index created by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to assess human development in the world's countries. It is essentially based on three main criteria: health and longevity, level of education, and standard of living.

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.