Togo To Transfer Youth Entrepreneurship Fund To SME Agency

Economic governance

Saturday, 27 December 2025 16:01

Togo To Transfer Youth Entrepreneurship Fund To SME Agency

(Togo First) - The Togolese government has approved plans to transfer the mandate of its youth entrepreneurship support fund to the national small business development agency, as part of a broader overhaul of public support programmes for young entrepreneurs.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 24, ministers approved a bill transferring the functions of the Support Fund for Youth Economic Initiatives (FAIEJ) to the Agency for the Development of Very Small, Small and Medium Enterprises (ADTPME). The bill will now be submitted to parliament before the reform can take effect.

Under the proposal, all FAIEJ staff and assets will be transferred to the ADTPME. The government said the move is intended to streamline youth entrepreneurship support and align it with updated policy instruments aimed at boosting employment and private sector activity.

The executive said the reform seeks to reduce institutional overlap and improve the use of public resources by concentrating support on the most effective programmes. It is consistent with the rationale behind the creation of the ADTPME in 2022, which was designed to professionalise and better structure the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

By integrating FAIEJ’s operations into the ADTPME, the government aims to foster innovation among young entrepreneurs and promote business solutions tailored to local needs, particularly in the energy, health and agriculture sectors. The reform is also expected to improve coordination between businesses, universities, public institutions and incubators, strengthening support networks for start-ups.

Established in 2012, FAIEJ provides technical and financial assistance to youth-led micro-projects, including loans and guarantees. The fund says it created 26,309 jobs between its launch and the end of March 2024 and disbursed a total of 8.63 billion CFA francs in financing.

Esaïe 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.