Sélom Klassou elected speaker of Togo’s National Assembly for three-year term

Politics

Wednesday, 29 October 2025 03:11

Sélom Klassou elected speaker of Togo’s National Assembly for three-year term

Former Prime Minister succeeds Kodjo Adédzé as head of Parliament
Klassou becomes the 15th speaker in Togo’s political history
His election follows the formation of the first government of the Fifth Republic

Sélom Klassou, a member of the Union for the Republic (UNIR) and former Prime Minister from 2015 to 2020, has been elected speaker of Togo’s National Assembly. He succeeds Kodjo Adédzé, who was appointed Minister of Territorial Planning, Urban Development, and Housing on October 8, 2025, in the country’s first government under the Fifth Republic.

Klassou was elected on October 28, 2025, during the second plenary session of the ordinary sitting held at the Parliament’s headquarters. A native of Notsè in the Haho Prefecture, he becomes the 15th speaker of the Assembly in Togo’s history.

A veteran politician who has served under both Eyadéma and Faure Gnassingbé, Klassou previously held the position of deputy speaker before becoming Prime Minister in 2015. Under current parliamentary rules, he will lead the legislature for a three-year term, supported by a bureau comprising six deputy speakers, three financial officers, and three parliamentary secretaries.

With the recent adoption of a bicameral system under the new parliamentary regime, Togo now has a Senate chaired by Barry Moussa Barqué and a National Assembly led by Sélom Klassou. According to a political analyst specializing in the country, “institutionally, everything is now in place for Togo to launch the major projects of the Fifth Republic.”

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.