Togo Kicks Off International Year of the Woman Farmer with Focus on Economic Empowerment

Agriculture

Monday, 29 June 2026 14:04

Togo Kicks Off International Year of the Woman Farmer with Focus on Economic Empowerment

(Togo First) - Togo officially kicked off its observance of the International Year of the Woman Farmer late last week under a global initiative led by the United Nations and coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Held under the theme, “Empowered Women Transforming Agrifood Systems,” the initiative aims to accelerate policies supporting rural women producers and promote their economic empowerment.

“This celebration is an opportunity to recognize the progress made and give fresh momentum to efforts to support women farmers,” said Dindiogue Konlani, chief of staff at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Authorities said women play a central role in agrifood systems, from production to marketing. However, they continue to face barriers to accessing land, credit, agricultural inputs, equipment and farming technologies.

“Women account for nearly half of the global agricultural workforce, yet they continue to face greater barriers to accessing land, credit, inputs, technologies and agricultural advisory services,” said Dr. Oyétoundé Djiwa, head of the FAO office in Togo.

The government highlighted several support mechanisms, including the National Fund for Inclusive Finance (FNFI), whose AGRISEF facility has benefited more than 155,000 farmers, nearly half of them women. The PAFeRT, FSRP-Togo, ProMIFA and PRIMA-Togo programs, together with planned Agricultural Development Zones, aim for women to account for at least 40% of beneficiaries.

The United Nations has called for the year to serve as a catalyst for reforms and investment. Since 2019, nearly 9,900 women farmers have received support through the FAO’s Forest and Farm Facility. For the government and its partners, the economic empowerment of rural women is a key driver of growth, food security and community resilience.

R.E.D

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.