Togo, Belarus discuss expanding cooperation in agriculture

Agriculture

Wednesday, 04 March 2026 09:03

Togo, Belarus discuss expanding cooperation in agriculture

(Togo First) - Togo and Belarus to expand cooperation in agriculture. The terms of the partnership were discussed in Lomé during recent talks between Togo’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Animal Resources and Food Sovereignty, Antoine Lekpa Gbegbeni, and Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov.

Delegations from the two countries met on Monday, March 2, 2026, and agreed to develop a partnership covering agricultural mechanization, irrigation and access to fertilizers. The cooperation would also include the supply of seeds, the development of integrated livestock projects, research, and capacity building for agricultural sector stakeholders. These areas align with Togo’s strategy to modernize agriculture and transform the sector.

For Lomé, the collaboration could help accelerate the modernization of a sector that remains a key pillar of the national economy. Belarus has a well-developed engineering industry that manufactures tractors, agricultural machinery and mining equipment. It could therefore support the sector by providing equipment needed to intensify production and develop agro-industrial processing.

A draft memorandum of understanding is expected soon to formalize the cooperation framework. The Belarusian delegation also invited Togolese officials to take part in an international agricultural fair, where they would be able to visit agricultural equipment manufacturing plants and attend technical demonstrations.

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)

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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.