Lomé Hosts Regional Workshop on Climate-Sensitive Tax Policies

Economic governance

Tuesday, 10 February 2026 10:07

Lomé Hosts Regional Workshop on Climate-Sensitive Tax Policies

(Togo First) - Togo's capital, Lomé, began hosting a regional workshop on climate-sensitive tax policies on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, bringing together public finance and environment officials from across Africa.

The five-day meeting, organized by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in partnership with the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF), serves as a forum for discussions on tools to mobilize domestic resources for environmental and climate-related priorities.

Officials from eight countries, Togo, Gambia, Rwanda, Djibouti, Uganda, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, aim to deepen their understanding of climate-sensitive tax policies. The workshop focuses on sharing best practices in the design, implementation and monitoring of such policies, while strengthening participants’ capacity to use practical tools for their development and management.

Participants are examining green taxation instruments, reviewing African and international experiences, and identifying country-specific reform options tailored to their national contexts.

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The initiative is part of the CADAST project, led by ACBF in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), which seeks to support African governments in implementing macroeconomic policies that factor climate considerations into fiscal and budgetary frameworks.

According to Peguewinde Rodolphe Bance, head of ACBF’s Economic and Social Governance Unit, the Lomé workshop builds on the findings of an analytical study conducted by the institution on tax policy challenges in Africa. The study points to limited technical capacity to design effective green tax instruments, weaknesses in tax administration and compliance, gaps in data and analytical tools, and the need for stronger coordination between fiscal, climate and budget policies.

For Mawussé Adetou Afidenyigba, chief of staff at Togo’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, the timing of the workshop is critical as countries confront the growing economic and budgetary impact of climate change.

“Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is now a major economic and budgetary reality for our countries,” she said.

In response, Togo has launched several initiatives, including reforms aimed at strengthening domestic resource mobilization, improving the efficiency and fairness of the tax system, and aligning public policies with sustainable development and climate resilience goals, she added.

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)

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.