Togo: World Bank Approve $150M to Support Private Investment, Job Creation

Economic governance

Monday, 15 December 2025 12:32

Togo: World Bank Approve $150M to Support Private Investment, Job Creation

(Togo First) - The World Bank Group has approved $150 million in financing for Togo to boost private investment and job creation. The funding from the International Development Association is equivalent to about 84 billion CFA francs.

The support marks the first phase of a three-year programmatic series aimed at easing structural constraints on the country’s economic transformation through a set of reforms, a statement from Washington said.

The reforms prioritize improving agricultural productivity, notably by securing land tenure and expanding smallholder farmers’ access to finance.

The program also includes measures to reduce infrastructure deficits in energy, digital connectivity and logistics, which are seen as major impediments to private sector activity.

On economic attractiveness, the focus will be on strengthening the foreign direct investment framework and mobilizing more private capital, the statement said.

Full implementation of the program could mobilize up to $800 million in additional private investment and improve employment conditions for nearly 73,000 people over five years, the World Bank said. The agriculture, land and energy sectors are identified as the main drivers of job creation.

"If fully implemented, this three-year program will mark a milestone for private sector development in Togo, with the potential to mobilize up to $800 million in additional private capital and improve the employment conditions of 73,000 people over five years," said Justin Beleoken Sanguen, the World Bank's interim resident representative for Togo. "Reforms in agriculture, land and energy will be the main drivers of job creation, while additional private capital is expected to come from renewable energy projects and increased FDI attractiveness, among other things."

Key measures include establishing a National Land and Domain Agency (ANDF) to accelerate land titling, revising the governance of the Togo Electric Power Company (CEET), and regulating broadband prices to boost digital competition.

Reforms to technical and vocational training complete the program, aiming to align skills with the needs of productive sectors.

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.