West Africa Rice Program Launches in Togo's Sotouboua Cluster

Agriculture

Wednesday, 26 November 2025 08:18

West Africa Rice Program Launches in Togo's Sotouboua Cluster

(Togo First) - The Rice Program for West Africa (RIZAO) has been launched in Togo's Sotouboua cluster, led by INADES-Formation and Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA).

The program is part of a regional consortium that includes AfricaRice, MEDA, and 35° Nord, with funding from the Mastercard Foundation.

Launched in 2024, the program aims to strengthen the capacities of rice producers, particularly young women, young men, and people with disabilities working in the sector. A launch workshop held on Friday presented the project's objectives, technical support modalities, and planned actions to improve productivity and market orientation for farms.

The initiative will structure the Sotouboua cluster around a common framework to coordinate the efforts of local stakeholders. Organizers emphasized the need to share field data, adapt interventions, and strengthen local governance to ensure the continuity of activities.

As part of the launch, the Sotouboua municipality expressed its support for the initiative, stating that it supports agricultural entrepreneurship in the area. Involved stakeholders expect the program to improve yields, increase incomes, and better organize the rice value chain.

Three clusters in Togo are part of the RIZAO project: the Tône rice mill in the Savanes region, the Sotouboua mill in the Centrale region, and the Apéssito mill in the Maritime region.

The broader RIZAO program is a sub-regional initiative also being implemented in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal. It is funded by the Mastercard Foundation with $50 million as part of its Young Africa Works strategy.

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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.