Access to electricity: World Bank backs rural electrification in Togo with CFA40 billion loan

Energy

Wednesday, 22 February 2023 16:26

Access to electricity: World Bank backs rural electrification in Togo with CFA40 billion loan

(Togo First) - The World Bank (WB) will spend CFA39.7 billion in Togo for its Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE). The two parties signed the related loan agreement on February 21, 2023, in Lomé, Togo.

Part of the funds, which will be provided through the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), will serve to build a 25 MWp solar plant with 40 MWh of battery storage in Dapaong. The plant will provide electricity to around 60 rural localities in the Savanes region. Thus, the project will contribute to the government’s emergency resilience program in the Savanes region (PURS).

Another part of the loan will be used to install 1,853 street lights and connect about 12,100 rural households.

Besides Togo, the project will be implemented in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Chad. It will help boost access to energy in these countries where electricity costs are the highest in the West and Central Africa region.

"Countries in the region rely on oil-based power plants to meet the growing demand. In addition to the extremely negative impact on the climate, tariffs are increasingly high for consumers. RESPITE offers a more sustainable and affordable solution for a cleaner energy sector and paves the way for an ambitious expansion of clean energy production in West Africa," said Coralie Gevers, WB Operations Director for Togo.

The new support adds to others such as the CIZO project or the Tinga Fund which aim to improve access to electricity in Togo. The country, it is worth noting, wants to achieve universal access by 2030.

Esaïe Edoh

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.