Togo: Faure Gnassingbé Urges Africa-Japan to Build Joint Industries at TICAD 9

Economic governance

Friday, 22 August 2025 08:40

Togo: Faure Gnassingbé Urges Africa-Japan to Build Joint Industries at TICAD 9

(Togo First) - In Yokohama, where the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) opened on Wednesday, 20 August 2025, Togolese President of the Council Faure Gnassingbé urged Africa and Japan to redefine their economic cooperation.

“We need to go beyond infrastructure. Africa and Japan must co-create industrial value chains. True prosperity comes from joint production. Our ambition is not just to be a transit hub. We want to transform our resources, produce locally and turn our young people into players in production, not just consumption,” Gnassingbé said.

Gnassingbé stressed the urgency of moving away from unequal trade relations. He called for a model built on shared production, technology transfer, and job creation. He highlighted automotive, energy, digital, and agribusiness as priority sectors for building integrated and connected ecosystems across the Indian Ocean.

Le Président du Conseil, @FEGnassingbe , a porté haut la voix des pays africains ce 20 août 2025 à Yokohama, à l’occasion du Forum sur le partenariat économique entre l’Afrique et les pays de l’Océan Indien.https://t.co/NZOgUjFSAv pic.twitter.com/fQoOy7RVVo

— Présidence du Conseil du Togo (@presidencecstg) August 20, 2025

With this vision, Lomé intends to consolidate its role as a regional logistics hub. The government plans to leverage its deep-water port, already seen as one of West Africa’s most efficient.

“Togo has chosen to be a strategic gateway serving the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the continent as a whole. The port of Lomé, the deepest on the West African coast, is already an essential logistics hub, capable of connecting Japanese industrial production directly to the African market,” Gnassingbé emphasised.

Esaie Edoh

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.