U.S., Togolese Lawmakers Discuss Formal Dialogue on Health, Food Security, Security

Politics

Thursday, 29 January 2026 14:30

U.S., Togolese Lawmakers Discuss Formal Dialogue on Health, Food Security, Security

(Togo First) - Togo’s National Assembly and the U.S. Congress may soon launch a formal parliamentary dialogue aimed at addressing issues linked to Togo’s social development.

The idea was raised during a meeting held on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Lomé between the President of the National Assembly, Komi Selom Klassou, and a U.S. Congressional delegation led by Young Kim, a member of Congress and representative from California.

During the meeting, the head of the American delegation said U.S. lawmakers were particularly focused on health, food security, and security. These areas were described as key priorities for supporting development and strengthening the country’s stability. They could be discussed further as part of the institutional dialogue being considered between the two parliaments.

“We had a very constructive meeting with the President of the National Assembly. This exchange allowed us to address many subjects, notably the establishment of a dialogue framework between the American Congress and the National Assembly,” Young Kim said after the meeting.

The initiative is part of a fact-finding mission carried out by members of the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee in cooperation with the United Nations system. The mission aims to assess programs implemented by U.N. agencies and their impact in partner countries, including Togo.

The process could also encourage greater involvement of parliamentarians in the monitoring and implementation of programs and projects supported by Washington in Togo.

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.