Togo Expands Diplomatic Engagement Across the Maghreb

Economic governance

Friday, 19 June 2026 11:13

Togo Expands Diplomatic Engagement Across the Maghreb

(Togo First) - Long focused on West Africa and major international partners, Togo has in recent months intensified its diplomatic outreach to the Maghreb. From Tunis to Algiers and Tripoli, Lomé is seeking to strengthen political ties while opening new economic, commercial, academic and scientific opportunities.

Strengthening Economic Ties with Tunisia

Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey's official visit to Tunis on June 15-16, 2026, reflects this momentum. Following talks with his Tunisian counterpart, Mohamed Ali Nafti, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral consultations.

The discussions also focused on making greater use of opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Both sides explored ways to expand trade in products such as Tunisian dates and olive oil, as well as Togolese cocoa.

A cooperation program covering the 2026-2027 period was also adopted, focusing on sectors including digital health, higher education, scientific research and training.

Algeria Bets on Human Capital

In Lomé, closer ties with Algeria are taking on a stronger human capital development dimension. During a meeting on Wednesday, June 17, between Minister Delegate for Higher Education and Scientific Research Gado Tchangbedji and Algeria's ambassador to Togo, Hocine Mezoued, the two sides explored ways to strengthen academic cooperation.

The discussions focused in particular on increasing the number of scholarships granted to Togolese students, with special emphasis on scientific and technological fields. The two countries are also considering strengthening partnerships between higher education institutions through framework agreements aimed at promoting student and faculty mobility, as well as scientific exchanges.

An Expanded Diplomatic Presence

Libya is also among the partners with which Lomé is deepening relations. Recent exchanges between officials from the two countries point to a willingness to consolidate bilateral ties and explore new areas of cooperation.

For Togo, the objective appears to be to better connect West Africa with North African economies while unlocking new opportunities in trade, investment, training, research and innovation.

This development comes as the Port of Lomé continues to strengthen its position as a regional logistics hub and the AfCFTA encourages the development of new intra-African value chains.

R.E.D

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.