Togo-Kazakhstan cooperation set to level up, in key sectors

Economic governance

Monday, 04 December 2023 17:41

Togo-Kazakhstan cooperation set to level up, in key sectors

(Togo First) - The Togo-Kazakhstan cooperation will be 10 years old in 2024. Ahead of the anniversary, the leaders of both countries recently met in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The two presidents, during the meeting, talked about boosting cooperation between their countries, on the political, commercial, economic, cultural, and humanitarian fronts, especially.

"We have enormous opportunities to give new impetus to our cooperation for the benefit of our peoples," said the Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbé.

"We are ready to establish closer contacts with Togo. We fully support this country's desire to establish mutually beneficial cooperation," President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared for his part. The two men made the comments after a meeting where they discussed issues relating to agriculture, new technologies, joint development of mineral resources, and investment.

Bolstering trade relations

The two countries, which have agreed to strengthen ties in various areas, aim to improve their trade relations; a goal that requires adopting certain measures.

Indeed, according to the Kazakh president, his country "has enormous potential for exporting grain to Togo". The leader invited Togo to join the Islamic Organization for Food Security, a body whose creation his country initiated. Tokayev said joining the group would help enhance Togo’s agricultural potential.

Kazakhstan sets sights on Togo's port and subsoil

"Kazakhstan and Togo are rich in natural resources", said the Kazakh leader, adding that the two nations can collaborate "in the exploration, production, and development of deposits of iron, phosphate, bauxite and other rare earth minerals".

Already, Kazakh entrepreneurs are positioning themselves to explore opportunities in Togo's mining industry.

"Kazakhstan and Togo can become strategic partners. Your country has enormous economic potential. Our delegation would like to expand cooperation in the trade, economics, mining, agriculture, transport, and digitalization sectors," said the Togolese President.

The two countries are also exploring potential investments in the port of Lomé.

Kazakh universities open to Togolese students

In addition to these fields, both sides want to cooperate in the cultural and humanitarian sectors. Already, the Kazakh government has launched scholarship programs for Togolese college students who would like to study in Kazakhstan.

To make the two presidents' stated ambitions a reality, Togolese entrepreneurs are invited to next year's Astana International Forum, "to familiarize themselves with Kazakhstan's economic potential."

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 .

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)

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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.