Togo: Local chamber of commerce organizes B2B meeting with top German firms

Economic governance

Wednesday, 29 November 2023 17:44

Togo: Local chamber of commerce organizes B2B meeting with top German firms

(Togo First) - Lomé hosted on Monday, Nov. 27, a B2B meeting between some major German firms and young Togolese entrepreneurs. The German side regrouped representatives of big companies, like Bosch and Siemens. With the Togolese side, they discussed opportunities for investments and partnerships. The meeting was organized by the Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI Togo) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

"The Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry and UNIDO have agreed to organize this meeting between economic operators from Togo and those from Germany, who have made the trip just for this," said Nathalie Bitho, acting president of the CCI-Togo. "Togo, and its economic operators, in particular, are looking for partnerships and want to develop networks with which to work. We are therefore taking advantage of the age-old relationship between Togo and Germany, taking into account the quality and expertise of the German service, to enable Togolese companies to benefit from it".

"We have come from Germany because we strongly believe that Togo is an excellent platform for investment. We have come with a delegation of German companies, from Siemens to Bosch, mainly active in the fields of agriculture and energy, because these are areas of the future where your country and ours can work well together”, said Prof. Rolf Steltemeier, of UNIDO's Investment and Technology Promotion Office (IPTO) in Germany.

Facilitating external relations

On the sidelines of the meeting, the CCI-Togo announced it will set up an office to facilitate similar events in the future, and to connect local businesses with foreign companies. "For economic operators who are not present today and who would like to get in touch with these German companies who are here, and perhaps even those who are not here, the CCI-Togo now has a dedicated service to put Togolese economic operators who so wish in touch with their counterparts in these brotherly and friendly countries", said Nathalie Bitho.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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 .

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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)

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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.