Togo Highlights Role of Intellectual Property in Driving Growth

Investments

Tuesday, 16 September 2025 17:38

Highlights

Togo marked African Technology and Intellectual Property Day, joining other OAPI member states in celebrating innovation.
Minister of Industry stressed IP as a driver of growth and industrial transformation, urging African nations to turn knowledge into opportunity.
Togo has invested in IP infrastructure, including a documentation center and training programs, to strengthen national innovation capacity.

Togo joined fellow members of the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) last Saturday to celebrate the 26th African Technology and Intellectual Property Day. The event coincided with OAPI’s 63rd anniversary.

In an official message, Manuella Santos, Togo’s Minister of Industry and Investment Promotion — also OAPI’s administrator for Togo — underscored the importance of intellectual property (IP) as a lever for economic growth and industrial transformation.

This year’s theme, “Intellectual Property, Human Resources and Africa’s Technological Development,” highlighted the role of innovation in shaping Africa’s future.

A Regional Advantage for Innovators

OAPI brings together 17 African countries under a single framework. Today, any patent, trademark, or design filed through OAPI is automatically recognized across all member states, significantly reducing costs for inventors and businesses.

“Our countries must rely on their knowledge and talents to build a dynamic industrial sector,” Santos said, calling for every idea to be transformed into opportunity and every invention into shared wealth.

Togo’s Investments in IP Infrastructure

Since 2020, Togo has operated an Intellectual Property Documentation Center, financed by OAPI for 500 million CFA francs. The center provides researchers and entrepreneurs with technical and legal resources to support innovation.

The Minister also highlighted the African Academy of Intellectual Property, which has been training new generations of specialists for two decades, and praised the contributions of Togolese graduates.

Making IP Part of National Strategy

Sustainable technological development, the Minister noted, requires the integration of IP into education, research, industrialization, and investment policies. She emphasized that under President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé’s leadership, Togo has sought to place IP at the center of its development strategy to boost competitiveness at both regional and international levels.

Finally, Santos called for stronger international cooperation to foster “a creative and prosperous economy” and to make Africa “a land of innovation that shines in the world.”

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.