Togo Opens Global Entrepreneurship Week With Push for Inclusive Growth

Economic governance

Monday, 17 November 2025 18:49

Togo Opens Global Entrepreneurship Week With Push for Inclusive Growth

Togo opens the 15th Global Entrepreneurship Week with events designed to strengthen SME capacity nationwide.
The EU mobilises IYBA SEED and IYBA Women Empowerment for Africa to support youth and women-led businesses.
SMEs represent over 80% of Togo’s economic fabric, making the event a policy tool to deepen inclusion and innovation.

Togo opened the 15th edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) on Monday, 17 November 2025, during an inaugural press conference in Lomé. Organisers anchor this year’s theme around “Ensemble, construisons” (“Let’s build together”).

GEN-Togo, the Agency for the Development of Very Small and Medium Enterprises (ADTPME) and ON-IJD coorganise the event with support from the European Union and German cooperation agency GIZ. Their partnership aims to strengthen national entrepreneurship infrastructure.

Organisers plan to host workshops, conferences, pitch competitions, training sessions and networking platforms throughout Lomé and regional capitals. They intend to reinforce the entrepreneurial culture and give young project owners practical tools to scale their businesses.

GEN-Togo Director General Pascal Edoh Agbové said the edition “aims to inspire the new generation of entrepreneurs and to recognise the essential role of SMEs in the national economy.” The EU backs the event through two regional programmes: IYBA SEED, which targets financing for youth-led enterprises, and IYBA Women Empowerment for Africa, which supports women’s entrepreneurship.

The government positions GEW as a lever for economic opportunity beyond awareness campaigns. The initiative helps structure Togo’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and promotes local innovation, as SMEs account for more than 80% of the economic fabric and a significant share of formal employment.

Organisers expect the week to deepen the link between policy support, financing tools and grassroots enterprise creation in a market where entrepreneurship drives diversification.

This article was initially published in French by R.E.D

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

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.