Togo: African Solidarity Fund invested up to CFA38bn so far in guarantees

Finance

Friday, 30 March 2018 15:23

Togo: African Solidarity Fund invested up to CFA38bn so far in guarantees

The African Solidarity Fund, which provides guarantees for bank and institutional loans, has disbursed so far in Togo up to CFA38 billion. This was disclosed on March 30, 2018, by the ministry of finance, as the 18th administration council of this fund was about to begin.

According to the fund’s managing director, Ahmadou Abdoulaye Diallo, one of the major intervention of the institution in Togo is the rehabilitation of Hotel 2 Février at a cost of CFA3 billion. Besides the hospitality sector, the fund also invests in the sectors of telecommunication, agribusiness, energy, construction, etc.

In order to ensure the economy’s sustainable development, Togolese authorities, backed by reforms implemented to make business environment more conducive, give priority to projects led by youths and women, said Kossi Tofio, cabinet director at the ministry of economy and finance.

In line with this objective, the authorities wish for the fund to actively build partnerships with public institutions dedicated to the targeted group of entrepreneurs. In fact, talks are already underway in this framework and should help provide significant support to young entrepreneurs and businesswomen in the country.

Besides financial guarantees, the African Solidarity Fund also intervenes through refinancing and reduction of interest rates. Due to its management skills and financial capacity, it was rated AA+ with stable outlook by rating agency WARA.

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.