Togo Set to Benefit from New $14.26 Million West African Health Program

Health

Wednesday, 17 June 2026 11:47

Togo Set to Benefit from New $14.26 Million West African Health Program

(Togo First) - Togo is among seven West African countries selected for a new regional health systems strengthening program financed by the African Development Fund, the concessional lending arm of the African Development Bank Group. The institution's board of directors approved a $14.26 million grant for the West African Health Organization (WAHO) on June 11, 2026.

The initiative aims to improve healthcare quality, strengthen preparedness for health emergencies and enhance regulatory systems in seven ECOWAS countries: Togo, Benin, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Among the planned initiatives is the establishment of a cross-border "One Health" laboratory in Togo. The project is also expected to strengthen regional disease surveillance at a time when communicable diseases are spreading more widely and the risk of cross-border epidemics is increasing.

The initiative comes as the African Development Bank notes that the region's health challenges extend beyond national borders. Shortages of qualified personnel, limited laboratory capacity and gaps in pharmaceutical regulation require coordinated responses at the regional level.

Investments in a Changing Sector

In recent years, Togo has launched several reforms aimed at expanding health coverage and improving access to care. Universal Health Insurance (AMU), which has been gradually rolled out since 2024, is intended to extend social protection to several million people. At the same time, the country continues to build and modernize healthcare infrastructure in several regions with support from technical and financial partners.

Beyond the health component, the program backed by the African Development Bank includes an economic dimension. The institution said that improving drug quality control capacity and strengthening regulatory systems should help expand the regional pharmaceutical industry. Training initiatives targeting young people could also create about 300 jobs across the beneficiary countries, with more than 40% expected to go to women.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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.