World Bank appoints Antonius Verheijen as Togo resident representative

Economic governance

Wednesday, 04 February 2026 08:32

World Bank appoints Antonius Verheijen as Togo resident representative

(Togo First) - The World Bank Group has appointed Antonius (Tony) Verheijen as its new resident representative in Togo, it said on Sunday.

Verheijen replaces Fily Sissoko, who served in the role from July 2022 until his recent appointment as a division director overseeing several countries in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean, Togofirst.com reported.

Verheijen will oversee the World Bank Group’s operations in Togo, bringing together the work of the World Bank, its private-sector arm IFC, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which were previously managed separately.

“I am very excited to begin my new assignment and to represent the entire World Bank Group,” Verheijen said, adding that the unified role would strengthen support for economic opportunities and jobs, particularly for Togolese youth.

He will also help advance the Country Partnership Framework for 2025–2029, which focuses on priorities including energy, agriculture, governance and private-sector development.

The Group’s active portfolio in Togo totals $1.49 billion across 18 national and regional projects, while the IFC invested and helped mobilize about $320 million between 2020 and 2025.

Verheijen, who is Dutch, has more than 20 years of experience at the World Bank Group across Asia, Europe and Africa, including senior roles in Côte d’Ivoire.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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.