Togo to Set Up Single Center to Fight Cybercrime

Justice

Tuesday, 28 May 2024 15:28

Togo to Set Up Single Center to Fight Cybercrime

(Togo First) - Under its new national cybersecurity strategy for 2024-2028, Togo will set up a single entity to centralize efforts against cybercrime. The body will replace the current fragmented system which regroups the National Police, National Gendarmerie, and National Cybersecurity Agency (ANCy) and is supported by Cyber Defense Africa (CDA).

The current system has been highly criticized for its inefficiency. Observers pointed out laborious investigations, a lack of cooperation between services, and increasing costs without significant economies of scale.

The new strategy indicates: "It is very hard to collect digital evidence and avoid their modification. Some digital evidence does not occur at the 'crime scene' and must be protected on the network that connects the criminal and the victim. This network can span thousands of kilometers and be linked by thousands of IT equipment located in dozens of countries. This requires close cooperation with telecommunications companies at the local and international levels, and strengthening the capacities of digital forensic laboratories, which will enable the restoration of the utility of evidence."

The announced anti-cybercrime center should overcome these challenges by consolidating resources and expertise into a single "nodal point." This should improve response to threats and crimes, cut costs and make operations more effective and strategically coherent.

One of the pillars of this restructuring is the national digital forensics laboratory. This center will focus on scientific research and the development of new methods adapted to the specificities of cybercrimes. It will also be tasked with training agents in these new techniques and raising awareness about cybersecurity issues.

The future structure will bring together professionals from various backgrounds – police officers, gendarmes, and sworn civilians – to form a robust team capable of effectively responding to digital threats, while managing advanced tools for gathering information and combating fake news.

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.