Togo business owners, tax officials to discuss strained relationship at Lomé event

Economy

Wednesday, 01 April 2026 14:23

Togo business owners, tax officials to discuss strained relationship at Lomé event

(Togo First) - Business owners and tax officials are due to meet in Lomé on Thursday, April 2, to discuss the strained relationship between the private sector and the tax administration.

The event, scheduled at the Onomo Hotel from 7 p.m., will take place in what organizers describe as a deliberately plain-speaking format. It is led by Edem Adékunlé d’Almeida, a Franco-Togolese entrepreneur and founder of Africa Global Recycling (AGR).

At the center of the discussion is a question that reflects persistent tensions: whether the relationship between businesses and the tax authority resembles a partnership, a forced arrangement, or a dysfunctional dynamic. For many economic operators in Togo, the issue is concrete. They point to unclear procedures, what they see as arbitrary audit practices, and a lack of transparency that fuels distrust.

Togo has introduced several reforms in recent years to modernize its tax system. These include the digitization of tax filings, the rollout of electronic tax services, and revisions to the General Tax Code aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. Incentive schemes now offer tax reductions of up to 40 percent over several years for qualifying investments.

Despite these measures, many businesses say the changes have yet to significantly improve their day-to-day interactions with the tax administration.

The meeting is part of the Afterwork d’Edem d’Almeida, a regular economic gathering in Lomé that brings together senior professionals to discuss issues affecting the private sector. The format is designed to encourage open exchanges rather than formal positioning.

Organizers say the event is intended to give business operators an opportunity to speak candidly about their experiences, while allowing tax officials to respond directly to concerns raised.

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.