Contemporary African Art Exhibition Opens at Palais de Lomé Ahead of Japan, France Tour

Culture

Friday, 12 June 2026 11:47

Contemporary African Art Exhibition Opens at Palais de Lomé Ahead of Japan, France Tour

(Togo First) - Palais de Lomé is hosting the first exhibition of the Toyota Tsusho CFAO African Art Award, since Thursday, bringing together works by artists from five African countries before a planned tour to Japan and France.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 31 and features works by the five winners of the award's inaugural edition. Togolese audiences can view pieces by Moffat Takadiwa, the Zimbabwean artist who received the Grand Prix, alongside works by Gosette Lubondo (Democratic Republic of Congo), Unathi Mkonto (South Africa), Katlego C.L. Twala (Botswana) and Tizta Berhanu (Ethiopia).

Sonia Lawson, founding director of Palais de Lomé, said hosting the first edition of the Toyota Tsusho CFAO African Art Award reflects the growing role of African cultural institutions in international contemporary art circuits.

"The Toyota Tsusho CFAO African Art Award highlights the vitality of contemporary African art. Hosting the first exhibition in Lomé is also a way of underscoring the role of African cultural institutions in major international artistic dialogues and helping artists from across the continent gain greater international exposure," she said.

Originally the residence of governors during the German colonial era and later the seat of the Togolese presidency after independence, Palais de Lomé is a historic building that has since been converted into an arts and cultural center set on an 11-hectare seafront estate on the Atlantic Ocean.

Since opening to the public, the institution has pursued its goal of becoming one of West Africa's leading cultural spaces. International exhibitions, artist residencies, conferences, festivals, educational programs, heritage preservation and the promotion of African design are among the activities regularly held on the site.

For Togo, the event also represents an opportunity to strengthen its cultural profile. After Lomé, the exhibited works will travel to Tokyo and then Paris, placing the Togolese capital at the starting point of an artistic circuit connecting Africa, Asia and Europe.

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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.