Togo Showcases Reform Success in Washington After Selection for G20 Compact with Africa “Select List”

Economic governance

Tuesday, 21 October 2025 08:57

Togo Showcases Reform Success in Washington After Selection for G20 Compact with Africa “Select List”

Togo remains among 14 African nations selected for the new Compact with Africa 2.0.
The World Bank’s 2024 Business Ready report ranks Togo among the world’s 50 top reforming economies.
Private sector contributes 76.8% of Togo’s GDP and 98% of total employment.

Togo was showcased as one of Africa’s leading reformers in business climate improvement during the high-level Compact with Africa (CwA) meeting held in Washington.

Sandra Ablamba Johnson, Minister and Secretary-General of the Presidency, presented the country’s reform progress and its priorities for the new CwA 2.0 program.

Compact with Africa 2.0 Aims to Deepen Private Investment

Created under the G20 and coordinated by the World Bank, the Compact with Africa initiative seeks to boost private investment in Africa through structural reforms and stronger partnerships among governments, donors, and the private sector.

In 2025, the initiative entered a new phase with CwA 2.0, backed by a multi-donor trust fund hosted by the World Bank with contributions from several G20 partners. The fund will expand technical assistance, ease investment projects, and support economic transformation across member countries.

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Togo Among Africa’s “Reform Champions”

Togo joined the initiative in 2018, entering the select group of twelve African nations recognized as “reform champions.” The designation underscored the country’s strong commitment to structural and economic policies supported by the G20.

Eight years later, Togo remains in the select list of 14 countries in the Compact with Africa 2.0 framework.

“This recognition confirms the progress our country has made in improving the business climate and promoting the private sector as the engine of development,” Johnson said, addressing the German Ministers of Finance and Development, along with the heads of the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank.

Togo maintains a Reform Partnership with Germany, supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The partnership backs a joint reform agenda focused on job creation, agro-industrial transformation, good governance, and economic attractiveness.

Tangible Results from Structural Reforms

The reforms have delivered measurable results. In 2020, Togo jumped 40 places in the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking, reaching 97th globally and 8th in Africa.

More recently, the 2024 Business Ready report placed Togo among the world’s top 50 economies for business regulation performance.

Additionally, the Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) score rose from 3.0 in 2016 to 3.8 in 2024, enabling access to more concessional financing from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA).

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Private Sector Driving Economic Transformation

The reform agenda has fostered flagship projects such as the Adétikopé Industrial Platform (PIA), a symbol of Togo’s industrialization strategy.

Today, the private sector contributes 76.8% of national GDP and accounts for nearly 98% of employment.

“Our ambition is to make the private sector the main driver of growth and development,” Johnson said. She added that the government aims to strengthen regulatory and judicial frameworks, expand innovative financing instruments, and invest in sustainable energy, agriculture, and technology to create jobs for youth and women.

This article was initially published in French by Fiacre E. Kakpo

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.