Togo, Turkey Eye Direct Lomé-Mersin Logistics Corridor

Logistics

Monday, 23 February 2026 13:35

Togo, Turkey Eye Direct Lomé-Mersin Logistics Corridor

(Togo First) - Togo and Turkey are exploring the establishment of a direct logistics corridor between the Port of Lomé and the Port of Mersin, located on Turkey's northeastern Mediterranean coast.

The project was discussed in Lomé over the weekend during talks between Kokou Edem Tengue, Minister Delegate for Maritime Affairs, and Turkey's ambassador to Togo, Muteber Kılıç. A memorandum of understanding is being drafted to formalize the initiative.

"I held a productive working session with H.E. Ms. Muteber Kılıç, Turkish Ambassador to Togo. Our discussions focused on strengthening the maritime partnership, marked by the forthcoming submission of a Memorandum of Understanding by the Turkish side," Tengue said on the sidelines of the talks.

The initiative aims to streamline trade flows, reduce transit times and strengthen the competitiveness of both port platforms. For Ankara, the project is also a means of using Lomé's geographic position to gain easier access to landlocked countries in the hinterland, notably Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.

Mersin is Turkey's leading container traffic port and serves as an interface between Anatolia, Central Asia and the Mediterranean basin. Lomé, for its part, is pressing ahead with its strategy to become a regional logistics hub. Cooperation could also extend beyond the maritime sector to industrial zones, particularly in textiles and energy.

Bilateral trade has risen sharply, from $128 million in 2021 to more than double that figure in 2025.

"With $270 million in trade already, the challenge now is to shift into a higher gear to boost our international competitiveness by creating a direct, high-performance logistics corridor between the Port of Lomé and the Port of Mersin," Tengue said.

R.E.D

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.