Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali: Only goods unloaded at the port of Lomé will benefit from the suspension of the statistical levy

Economic governance

Thursday, 29 February 2024 13:45

Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali: Only goods unloaded at the port of Lomé will benefit from the suspension of the statistical levy

(Togo First) - Only goods that come to the Port of Lomé by sea and declared as transit bound for Burkina Faso, Mali, or Niger will benefit from the suspension of the statistical levy. The Togolese Revenue Office (OTR) disclosed the news on February 19, 2024.

This levy, applied to imports and exports, finances the country's statistical activities, including data collection, processing, and dissemination of economic and trade information. The statistical levy for Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger was initially set at 2% and then reduced to 1% under the ECOWAS Common External Tariff regime. It had been provisionally suspended since 1975.

The new announcement aims to deter economic operators who unload their goods at neighboring ports and later pass them through Togo to reach the Ouaga-Niamey-Bamako corridor.

This is an important move for Togo, especially since the closure of the border between Benin and Niger due to ECOWAS sanctions against the latter. Goods destined for Niger are now forced to pass through Ouaga, of which Lomé is the natural maritime gateway.

Besides, due to the jihadist threat in northwest Benin, goods destined for Burkina Faso, from the Port of Cotonou, must now pass by Kara in Togo, which is safer than the Porga route in Benin. Lomé intends to take advantage of this opportunity, giving its Sahel customers a cheaper and safer option.

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger recently exited the ECOWAS to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AoSS).

Fiacre E. Kakpo

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.