African Political Alliance to Hold Middle East Crisis Summit in Lomé on July 3

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Tuesday, 30 June 2026 16:37

African Political Alliance to Hold Middle East Crisis Summit in Lomé on July 3

(Togo First) - Lomé will host an extraordinary ministerial conference of the African Political Alliance (APA) on Friday, July 3, 2026, to discuss the impact of the Middle East crisis on Africa. The meeting will bring together the foreign ministers of the alliance’s member states, along with representatives of African institutions, Gulf countries and other international partners.

Held under the theme, “Africa Facing the Middle East Crisis: Impacts, Challenges and Strategic Responses,” the conference aims to forge a common position on the economic, security and diplomatic consequences of the conflict.

The African Political Alliance was established at Togo’s initiative in May 2023. It now brings together 10 member states with the objective of strengthening coordination among African countries on major international issues.

According to Togo’s foreign minister, Robert Dussey, Africa can no longer remain on the sidelines of global crises. In an opinion piece published ahead of the meeting, he said the continent “must stop enduring global crises in silence.”

The discussions will focus on oil and gas price volatility, rising maritime transport costs, pressure on supply chains, higher food and agricultural input prices, and the impact of these developments on inflation and the public finances of African states. Security issues, including risks linked to hybrid conflicts and disinformation, will also be on the agenda.

Beyond assessing the impact of the crisis, participants will seek to identify common responses to strengthen Africa’s economic resilience and strategic position, Robert Dussey said.

The meeting comes one year after the APA’s third ministerial conference, held in Lomé in 2025. It underscores Togo’s ambition to establish Lomé as a diplomatic hub for dialogue on Africa’s major diplomatic and geopolitical issues.

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.