Third GRCRO Summit Opens in Lomé in July with Focus on Artificial Intelligence

Finance

Friday, 22 May 2026 14:06

Third GRCRO Summit Opens in Lomé in July with Focus on Artificial Intelligence

(Togo First) - The third edition of Grande Rencontre des Compliance et Risk Officers (GRCRO), a pan-African compliance conference, will be held in Lomé on July 8 and 9, 2026, at the Hotel 2 Février. Nearly 1,000 compliance professionals, regulators, magistrates and compliance technology providers are expected to attend, up from 600 at the previous edition. Discussions will focus on fraud, corruption and money laundering in the age of artificial intelligence.

Organized by Association togolaise des Compliance Officers (ATCO), the conference is being held for the second consecutive year under the patronage of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé. The 2026 edition was officially launched on March 12 in Paris before 200 professionals brought together by the Togolese embassy in France, reflecting the event’s growing international ambitions. The second edition, held in July 2025, drew participants from 42 countries, mainly in Africa. Organizers now aim to attract attendees from all five continents.

“The challenge of the GRCRO is not only to identify shortcomings, but also to benchmark practices, share experiences and foster a more coherent regional approach to compliance,” ATCO president Me Nikada Batchoudi said during the 2025 edition. A member of the Luxembourg Bar, he is also the event’s promoter.

The conference comes at a pivotal moment for Africa. During its October 2025 plenary session, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global body overseeing efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing, removed Burkina Faso, Nigeria, South Africa and Mozambique from its gray list. However, eight African countries remained on the list as of February 2026, including Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya, according to FATF data.

For Lomé, which is not on the gray list, the GRCRO forms part of a broader strategy to position the city as a regional compliance and financial hub. The Regional Securities Exchange (BRVM), which has participated in recent editions, is among the conference’s recurring partners. “It is essential that our financial market remains credible in the eyes of investors,” BRVM Director General Edoh Kossi Amenounve said on the sidelines of the 2025 edition. Togo’s financial intelligence unit, CENTIF-Togo, and the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) are also participating in the event.

This year’s theme places technological tools at the center of discussions. Organizers plan to examine the dual role of artificial intelligence: as a tool for risk mapping, red-flag detection and automated transaction monitoring, but also as a source of new threats, including deepfake-enabled document fraud and AI-driven scams. The detailed 2026 program, currently being finalized, will build on the Compliance Afrique AML/CFT certificate jointly offered in Lomé last January with French firm AFGES.

Registrations, which opened on March 12, closed on May 12. Organizers hope the third edition will help establish the Lomé gathering as a leading pan-African compliance forum, at a time when FATF standards continue to shape public policy on financial crime across the continent.

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.