Government allows worship places all over the country, except in Grand Lomé, to fully resume

Public Management

Thursday, 29 October 2020 16:25

Government allows worship places all over the country, except in Grand Lomé, to fully resume

(Togo First) - After being shut down for 8 months, places of worship, churches, and mosques notably, have been allowed to fully resume activity all over the country except in Grand Lomé which covers the Golfe and Agoè-Niyvé prefectures. These prefectures are the primary centers of the pandemic in Togo.

The decision was taken on October 28, 2020, at a council of ministers. According to the meeting’s report, “about Grand Lomé, given the rapid expansion of the pandemic in the region and the progressive reopening strategy, the council decides to allow only a limited number of worship places more to resume.”

The authorities warn that they will keep a close watch on the situation and will not hesitate to shut down worship places again if necessary.

It is worth noting that over the few weeks, many voices, notably from the Togolese church observatory, have risen to protest the long closure of churches in the country.

Meanwhile, as of Oct. 28, Togo had 2,238 confirmed cases, 1,620 recoveries, 564 active cases, and 52 deaths.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

REFORMS OVERVIEW

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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….

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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 .

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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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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.

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PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

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