Togo moves to reform forestry and water management service amid climate pressures

Economic governance

Thursday, 28 May 2026 17:08

Togo moves to reform forestry and water management service amid climate pressures

(Togo First) - Togo's government has launched a reform of its forestry and water management service as the West African nation grapples with mounting environmental and climate-related risks. The measure was approved at first reading by the Council of Ministers on May 26, 2026.

According to the official communiqué, the reform comes as Togo faces “growing challenges linked to climate change, land degradation, deforestation, poaching and the overexploitation of natural resources.” The proposed legislation calls for a broad modernisation of the service aimed at improving its operational effectiveness, nationwide reach, and monitoring and response capabilities.

The reform would also expand the service’s responsibilities in areas including sustainable forest resource management, protected area conservation, reforestation, law enforcement, and public awareness campaigns.

For Lomé, the initiative marks the latest in a series of environmental measures introduced in recent years. In April 2025, Togo enacted a law on climate change mitigation designed to strengthen the country’s legal and institutional framework on climate issues. The government has also revised its National Climate Change Adaptation Plan, a programme intended to integrate climate policy into vulnerable sectors including agriculture, water, forestry and public health while strengthening community resilience.

According to the World Bank, Togo will need to mobilise nearly $14 billion by 2050 to finance its climate adaptation efforts.

The draft decree on forestry and water management is expected to come before a later session of the Council of Ministers for further examination.

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.