Togo: Banks need to deal with five main challenges to boost lending in the country, CNC says

Finance

Tuesday, 05 April 2022 16:38

Togo: Banks need to deal with five main challenges to boost lending in the country, CNC says

(Togo First) - Banks in Togo must deal with five major issues for lending to increase in the country. At least, according to the National Credit Council (CNC), which met on March 31, 2022.

The first challenge, the council said on that day, is that banks should review the cost of credit downwards. "The average lending rate of banks was 7.6% in 2021, after 7.7% in 2020. This rate is still high compared to the sub-regional average of 7.2%," said Minister Sani Yaya (photo), chairman of the CNC.

Next, the council emphasized the need to reduce the various fees and commissions on banking operations, after an analysis of banks' operations with customers, which shows that “more than a third of the income from customer jobs comes from commissions.”

The third challenge identified is to increase financing for agriculture and housing. Data from the CNC shows that new bank loans granted to the agriculture and housing sectors account for only 2% and 7% respectively of the total loans granted by banks in 2021.

The increase in financing also requires greater mobilization of resources by SMEs and control of bank credit risk.

Despite these challenges, the Council noted for the year 2021 "a strong increase in bank lending.” This increase, the CNC said, was mainly driven by loans to the private sector. Over the past year, the gross deterioration rate of the portfolio of banks, for its part, came to 12%, against 16% a year earlier, its lowest level since 2013.

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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.