Togo Honors Ecobank Co-Founder Gervais Djondo and Afriland Founder Paul Fokam

Economic governance

Tuesday, 23 June 2026 13:14

Togo Honors Ecobank Co-Founder Gervais Djondo and Afriland Founder Paul Fokam

(Togo First) - Togo paid tribute on Monday to two of Africa’s most influential business leaders: Togolese entrepreneur Gervais Koffi Djondo, co-founder of Ecobank and a driving force behind ASKY Airlines, and Cameroonian banker Paul Kammogne Fokam, founder of Afriland First Bank.

The initiative, organized by the Togolese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI-Togo), featured the launch of the book Deux capitaines d'industrie se racontent, which chronicles their careers and their vision for Africa’s development.

Beyond honoring the two business pioneers, the ceremony highlighted the contributions they have made to building African economic institutions.

Founded in 1985 in Lomé, Ecobank now operates in more than 30 African countries and ranks among the continent’s leading pan-African banking groups. ASKY Airlines, launched in 2010 with its hub in Lomé, serves dozens of destinations across Africa and contributes to Togo’s position as a regional air transport hub.

For Paul Kammogne Fokam, one of the continent’s key challenges remains enabling Africans to build their own companies and financial institutions. During the event, the businessman emphasized the need to overcome historical barriers and foster an entrepreneurial culture rooted in long-term vision and perseverance.

Through the work of Afriland First Bank, which operates in several African countries, he also promoted a financial model focused on local development, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and greater financial inclusion.

For CCI-Togo, the tribute was also intended to provide entrepreneurial role models for younger generations. The institution’s president, José Kwassi Symenouh, underscored the importance of highlighting African success stories capable of inspiring the continent’s future entrepreneurs.

“We need African role models capable of inspiring future generations,” the president of CCI-Togo said.

The book presented in Lomé brings together 13 contributions addressing governance, leadership, investment, and development financing.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Abdelouahed El Kiram, Chief Executive Officer of BIA-Togo

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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.