Kazakhstan and Togo set to bolster bilateral cooperation

Politics

Friday, 01 December 2023 14:34

Kazakhstan and Togo set to bolster bilateral cooperation

(Togo First) - Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé was in Astana, Kazakhstan, on an official visit on November 28. There, he met his counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the two discussed bolstering the bilateral cooperation between their countries.

The two states will, concretely, enhance their economic relationship, focusing on the mining, digital, cultural, and agricultural sectors.

Gnassingbé presented his host with Lomé's economic development strategy, essentially based on public-private partnerships. He also mentioned the country’s favorable business climate, effective agricultural policy, and improvements relative to digitalization.

"Our government roadmap, which enshrines our development vision, relies on the private sector to finance 50% of the necessary investments. And the private sector will only come to invest if it finds an environment favorable to investment," Faure Gnassingbé told President Tokayev.

783622edf800c5775624c6624d L

President Gnassingbé also highlighted the climate of peace and security in Togo. "We are very attached in our country to peace and tolerance. And in this area, for a long time, our country has set an example despite the menace of terrorism and the sometimes communal conflicts to which our sub-region is prey,” he said.

For President Tokayev, the time is ripe for getting closer to Togo since Kazakhstan is currently on a rapprochement mission with African countries.

"Our countries are far apart, but we are ready to undertake multi-sectoral cooperation. We have many opportunities to strengthen our partnership in trade, agriculture, culture, technology, mining, education, and other areas," said the Kazakh president.

The two leaders plan to sign basic bilateral cooperation agreements, create a framework for consultation and exchanges "and stimulate their mutual development and partnership mechanisms in the environmental field".

Presidents Gnassingbé and Tokayev had a call last October.

Esaïe Edoh

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.