The UK Wants to Invest in the Savanes Region Emergency Program in Togo

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Thursday, 29 June 2023 15:16

The UK Wants to Invest in the Savanes Region Emergency Program in Togo

(Togo First) - The Prime Minister of Togo, Victoire Dogbé, met with UK’s Ambassador to Togo, Harriet Thompson, last Monday, June 26. The two women talked about the Emergency Program for the Savanes Region (PURS), with a focus on UK’s financial and military contribution to the project.

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On the occasion, Thompson said British companies could invest in various areas of the project, particularly in water and energy. "We also discussed how our military forces can work with the Togolese forces to help them better fight terrorism in the northern part of the country," the British diplomat indicated.

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Indeed, the people of the Savanes region in northern Togo have been facing terrorist attacks since November 2021 and the PURS was launched in 2022 to boost their resilience against the threats. Lomé put the project’s total cost at CFA200 billion.

In February 2023, the Togolese government reported that CFA150 billion were secured from technical and financial partners (TFPs). The government also highlighted that CFA50 billion was allocated in 2022 to the project. This led to a 15 %-20% improvement in the rural road network, providing access to clean water for 80,000 people, and extending electricity to an additional 15,000 households.

The meeting between Dogbé and Thompson aligns with Togo’s efforts to build cooperative ties with the Commonwealth States.

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 .

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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.