Togo Expands Cyber Defense Africa's Mandate to Cover Drone Industry

Economic governance

Monday, 29 June 2026 11:23

Togo Expands Cyber Defense Africa's Mandate to Cover Drone Industry

(Togo First) - The Togolese government has expanded Cyber Defense Africa's (CDA) mandate to cover the country's drone industry. At its June 26, 2026 meeting, the Council of Ministers adopted a decree amending the company's statutes, allowing it to design, produce, maintain and market aerial, ground and maritime drones.

The move is part of Togo's national strategy to strengthen its digital sovereignty and technological capabilities.

Created in 2019 through a partnership between the Togolese government and Polish company Asseco Data Systems, Cyber Defense Africa is responsible for securing the state's information systems and participates in the activities of the National Cybersecurity Incident Response Center (CERT-TG). CDA has registered capital of 1.965 billion CFA francs.

The new decree updates the company's regulatory framework to reflect its revised statutes. In addition to its cybersecurity activities, CDA will now be able to build a drone manufacturing and services business, supporting sectors including security, agriculture, logistics, industry and the monitoring of critical infrastructure.

The decision comes just weeks after Togo and Poland signed a 24-million-euro financing agreement to develop a national drone industry. Backed by Cyber Defense Africa, the initiative includes the creation of Africa Drone Company to develop local capabilities for designing, assembling and deploying drones, as well as a program to train national talent. The expanded mandate broadens CDA’s role beyond cybersecurity, positioning it to support Togo’s ambitions in drone technology and advanced manufacturing.

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.