In Cinkassé, Togo Turns Border Post Into AfCFTA Showcase

Logistics

Friday, 22 May 2026 13:09

In Cinkassé, Togo Turns Border Post Into AfCFTA Showcase

(Togo First) - Scanning Systems and the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to deploy one-stop border posts across the continent, drawing renewed attention to Togo’s Cinkassé crossing on the northern border with Burkina Faso.

The Cinkassé one-stop border post (OSBP), which opened in May 2011, brings together customs, health and transport authorities from both countries at a single site. More than 382,000 vehicles passed through the facility in 2025, up 20% from a year earlier, according to Scanning Systems. The Abidjan-based operator is 70% owned by Tassec Investment Holding, controlled by businessman Mory Diané, and 25% by pan-African infrastructure investment platform Africa50.

The site lies on the main road linking Lomé to Ouagadougou, a critical trade corridor for landlocked Burkina Faso, which relies heavily on the Port of Lomé for external trade. Both countries are members of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), under whose framework the integrated border post was developed.

A Model for Continental Expansion

Scanning Systems now aims to replicate the model across Africa. “The AfCFTA establishes the normative and regulatory framework. It therefore needs implementation mechanisms,” Mory Diané said in Lomé. “Building on our experience with the Cinkassé and Laleraba posts, it is time for us to expand into other African regions.”

The announcement comes as African institutions push to accelerate regional trade integration. Addressing around 1,500 policymakers and business leaders gathered in Lomé for the Biashara Afrika 2026 forum from May 18 to 20, AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mène said intra-African trade reached $220 billion in 2024, up 12.5% year on year, and could rise to $230 billion by 2027.

Despite that growth, intra-African trade still accounts for only 15% of the continent’s exports, compared with more than 60% within the European Union, according to Togolese Minister of Economy and Strategic Planning Badanam Patoki.

Togo Seeks to Strengthen Its Logistics Position

For Togo, hosting Biashara Afrika for the first time after Johannesburg in 2023 and Kigali in 2024, the objective is to reinforce its position as a logistics gateway for West Africa. Council President Faure Gnassingbé opened the event by calling for the rapid implementation of the African single market.

On the ground, however, the Cinkassé OSBP’s performance remains uneven. A study by the Association for the Anthropology of Social Change and Development (APAD) found that the target crossing time of one to two hours has yet to be achieved. The report also noted that informal payments ranging from 2,000 to 7,000 CFA francs persist despite the digital integration of the two countries’ customs systems.

Scanning Systems currently holds concessions for 12 one-stop border posts in West Africa. A third operational site, at Zégoua on the border between Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, is expected to become operational by the end of 2026.

Since 2024, the operator has also been conducting feasibility studies for four pilot posts in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) zone. Its partnership with the AfCFTA Secretariat could now pave the way for broader continental expansion of the model first tested at Cinkassé.

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)

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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)

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PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

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