Lomé Hosts BlueInvest Africa 2025

Economic governance

Thursday, 16 October 2025 04:54

(Togo First) - Lomé is hosting the third BlueInvest Africa Forum on October 15-16, 2025, an initiative by the European Commission held in partnership with the Togolese government. The event aims to connect investors and entrepreneurs in the blue economy. After earlier forums in Seychelles and Kenya, Togo is the first French-speaking African country to host the gathering.

The forum brings together more than 200 participants, including blue economy entrepreneurs, EU officials, financial institutions, and 24 African startups showcasing maritime and coastal innovations. It aims to boost sustainable investment and strengthen Africa-Europe cooperation on marine resources.

Gwilym Ceri Jones, the EU ambassador to Togo, said Lomé’s selection “reflects the country’s growing role in West Africa’s maritime sector.” He added that the event aligns with the Global Gateway program, which has attracted more than €306 billion in global investment, a large share of it in renewable energy and coastal infrastructure.

Stanislas Baba, secretary-general of the Togolese government, highlighted the country’s progress in maritime development. “A €396 million investment in the second phase of the Lomé Container Terminal has lifted annual capacity to 2.4 million TEUs,” he said. “In September 2025, a €7.5 million dredging project deepened the channel to –18.6 meters and the terminal basin to –17.6 meters, enabling it to handle container ships of 19,000 to 24,000 TEUs.”

Backed by a dynamic generation of young entrepreneurs, BlueInvest Africa 2025 aims to promote sustainable and inclusive business models. The highlight of the event is a pitch competition offering tailored support for the winning projects.

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.