Togo First
How to start an individual company in Togo
Individual companies make up ⅔ of businesses registered in Togo. They have grown in number in the past three years, bolstered by women and youth’s growing interest in entrepreneurship.
In 2019, 2020, and the first half of 2021 respectively, 7862, 7930, and 4447 of these companies were created in the country. The growth is mainly attributable to a battery of reforms introduced by the government and aimed at improving the business climate. Here, we take a look at procedures related to the creation of individual businesses in Togo.
Eligibility criteria:
Individuals with full legal capacity:
- Togolese
- ECOWAS citizens
- Non-ECOWAS citizens residing in Togo
Cost of the procedure:
- CFA26,400 for Togolese and ECOWAS citizens;
- CFA31,400 for non-ECOWAS citizens.
Processing time:
7 hours after submission of the application file.
Where to submit the application?
Name of the office: Center for Business Formalities (CFE)
Adress: Angled corner between avenue de la Présidence & avenue Georges Pompidou located at the Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIT), B.P. 3210, Lomé, Togo.
Contact : 22 23 62 60
E-mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web Portal: www.cfetogo.org
Required documents:
- A duly filled company registration form
- A copy of the national id card for Togolese, the consular card for ECOWAS citizens, and the passport for other foreigners
- A copy of the residence document namely, residence permit for ECOWAS citizens, residence certificate for Togolese, and visa for other foreigners
- A statement of no prior or pending convictions
- A certified copy of the diploma or certificate for liberal professions
- A photo ID of the managing director or CEO of the company
- A hand-drawn map of the company’s geographical location
Togo: How to start a corporation
In 2019, 2020, and the first half of 2021, respectively 3,652, 4,662, and 2,864 new businesses were established in Togo. The growth was driven by reforms that were introduced in recent years to improve the business climate. These reforms, according to the authorities, were successful and made it easier to start a business - faster and cheaper also.
The cost for setting up a corporation (legal persons) was reduced to CFA29,250 for Togolese and ECOWAS citizens, and CFA34,250 for foreigners.
Regarding the time needed to set up a business, it reduced from around 100 days to just 24 hours, and later to 7 hours.
These are breakthroughs considering that in 2012, operators had to spend CFA262,000 to start their business. In addition to this cost, CFA62,000 was needed to obtain legal announcements published on the Center for Business Formalities (CFE)’s website. This fee isn’t required anymore.
Eligibility criteria:
As per current regulations, Togolese, ECOWAS, and non-ECOWAS citizens that live outside or in (legally) Togo can start a business at the CFE.
Cost per procedure :
- CFA29,250 for Togolese and ECOWAS citizens
- CFA34,250 for non-ECOWAS citizens.
Processing time:
7 hours after submitting the full application.
Where to submit the application?
Name of the office: Center for Business Formalities (CFE)
Adress : Angled corner between avenue de la Présidence & avenue Georges Pompidou located at the Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIT), B.P. 3210, Lomé, Togo.
Contact : 22 23 62 60
E-mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web Portal: www.cfetogo.org
Required documentation:
- A duly filled business registration form
- A copy of the national ID card for Togolese, the consular card for ECOWAS citizens, and the passport for other foreigners
- A copy of the residence document namely, residence permit for ECOWAS citizens, residence certificate for Togolese, and visa for other foreigners
- A statement of no prior or pending convictions
- Three (03) copies of the statuses
- A photo ID of the managing director or CEO of the company
- A hand-drawn map of the company’s geographical location
Dissolving a legal person: Everything you need to know
Many reasons could explain a company’s dissolution. Its life term could have expired; it may have completed its corporate goal; it could be due to operational issues resulting from a disagreement between managing partners; or even serious financial problems.
Dissolution is a prerequisite to liquidating the company’s assets. In Togo, formalities related to this process are carried out at the Center for Business Formalities (CFE). The person submitting the request must have full legal capacity. For Togolese and ECOWAS nationals, the cost of the procedure is CFA24,125 and for non-ECOWAS nationals, it is CFA29,125.
The dissolution is usually effective 24 hours after the necessary documentation has been submitted. Once effective, the company ceases to exist.
Eligibility criteria:
Individuals with full legal capacity.
Cost of the procedure:
- CFA24,125 for Togolese and ECOWAS nationals
- CFA29,125 for non-ECOWAS nationals
Processing time:
24 hours after the request is submitted.
Where to submit the request?
Name of the office: Center for Business Formalities (CFE)
Address : Angled corner between avenue de la Présidence & avenue Georges Pompidou located at the Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIT), B.P. 3210, Lomé, Togo.
Contact : 22 23 62 60
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web portal: www.cfetogo.org
Required documentation:
- Minutes of the dissolution
- Original copy of the business ID card or trade register
Togo: UNDP finances local civil society organizations to boost environmental protection
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Togo provided CFA146 million in grants to nine civil society organizations (CSOs) on February 22, 2022. The related agreement was initialed by UNDP’s representative, Aliou Mamadou Dia.
With the money, the CSOs will develop community projects that focus on natural resource management and environmental protection. In detail, each of them will get between 10 and 24 million CFA francs to develop agricultural activities around the hydro-agricultural dam of Narcré in the township of Tône 3, and to restore ecosystems on the slopes and mountains in the district of Naki-Est, among others.
The grants, which cover 24 months, will also be used to carry out initiatives aimed at conserving the Kpankpandjéka forest in the village of Hélota in the Kéran, to grow a botanical garden in the Niamtougou district, and to set up a 500-hectare improved cashew plantation in Agouloudè.
The financing was provided as part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Program. The latter is implemented by the UNDP and executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
According to UNDP data, so far, the program has financed 122 projects in Togo for $3.3 million, or about CFA1.9 billion.
Esaïe Edoh
Saudi Development Fund to help Togo implement its 2020-205 development roadmap
Saudi Arabia will help Togo develop the projects falling under the West African government’s 2020-2025 roadmap. To this end, the two countries inked last Tuesday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the Togolese capital Lomé.
The MoU was signed by Togo’s Minister of Trade, Kodjo Adedze, and Ahmad Ibrahim Al-humaid, representing the Saudi Development Fund (SDF).
Among projects that will benefit from the Saudi support is the rehabilitation of farming land in Mission Tove and that of the Adagali-Atakpame road.
The SDF, which sent a delegation to Lomé, claims that the deal reflects its commitment “to helping the Togolese government implement its roadmap.”
For their part, Togolese authorities said “this memorandum illustrates the quality of relations between the two countries.”
Togo just received $5 million from the SDF to build 17 mini drinking water adductions and 15 autonomous water stations in its Central and Plateaux regions.
This is one of several facilities that the Saudi institution has been providing the African nation for some years now.
Esaïe Edoh
The Togolese government allows full reopening of places of worship and resumption of cultural activities
In Togo, the government decided on February 22, 2022, to ease some of its measures that aimed at containing the pandemic.
Among others, those who test positive for Covid-19 will spend less time in self-isolation (7 days for the vaccinated and 10 for the non-vaccinated). Government-approved places of worship have been allowed to fully reopen, and people can now attend sports and cultural activities, as well as go to the beach.
However, only those vaccinated, and who have relevant proof, can benefit from the measures. In this framework, the authorities instructed the installation of vaccination areas near the places concerned.
The measures, it should be emphasized, were taken after getting advice from the scientific council set up in response to the pandemic.
The council noted a “decrease in the numbers of positive cases and new Covid-19 infections,” which it attributes to “the strong mobilization of the population around vaccination.” Indeed, the latest official data shows that over 2.6 million doses of vaccines have been administered to the Togolese population.
Esaïe Edoh
Cashew: the 2022-2023 marketing campaign begins
Key players of the cashew sector met last weekend in Sokodé (340 km north of Lomé) to discuss the regulation of the 2022-2023 marketing campaign. The recently-launched campaign will close on August 30, 2022.
From this year onward, anyone who wants to buy raw cashew nuts needs a buyer or sub-buyer card, paired with a purchase agreement and the transport slip.
As for exporters, they must present an export license before the purchase. They must also declare the export to the Council of Cashew Exporters (CEFA) and the Interprofessional Council of the Cashew Industry of Togo (CIFAT) to obtain an export permit.
For the account of the ongoing campaign, nearly 35,000 t - against 27,360 t in 2021- of cashew nut will be placed at the disposal of the buyers, at the price edge field of 340 FCFA/Kg against 320 FCFA/kg in 2021.
It should be noted that the cashew nut sector is expanding rapidly in Togo and its production has increased from 6,268 t in 2014 to 35,000 t in 2021, thus a more than 450% rise.
Esaïe Edoh
The 8th Annual International Tax Conference begins in Lomé tomorrow, President Gnassingbé will be there
Lomé will host the 8th Annual International Tax Conference (CIAF), the largest sub-regional meeting on tax mobilization by States, on February 24-25. Major personalities, including the Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbé, and his Minister of Finance, Sani Yaya will be present.
The information was disclosed by the Togolese Revenue Office (OTR), the country’s tax mobilization body. The theme of the event is: “Progress made regarding the mobilization of domestic tax revenues in Africa in the 21st century.”
This is the first time that a West African country will be hosting the CIAF and this year it is organized by the OTR, the West African Union of Tax Authorities, and Togo’s Tax Professionals Association (APF-Togo). More than a hundred officials, local and foreign tax professionals, representatives of financial, regional, and international institutions are expected to attend.
This edition will revolve around four key issues, namely: the importance of the legal framework for linking public spending management to domestic tax mobilization, how taxation contributes to tackling climate change issues, "the issues, challenges, and prospects of the agreement on the global minimum tax to be paid by companies within the OECD-G20 inclusive framework" and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Cooperation: a delegation from the Saudi Development Fund is in Lomé
A delegation from the Saudi Development Fund (SDF) is presently in Lomé, led by Alzahrani Saeed Mubarak. The delegation was received on Feb 21 by the Togolese minister for water, Bolidja Tiem.
On the same day, President Gnassingbé received the Saudi ambassador to Togo, Mishaal bin Hamdan Al-Roqi. Among others, the two men discussed cooperation between the two countries, especially relative to agriculture, diplomacy, and economy.
The SDF delegation, the ministry of water said, is in Togo in the framework of a Saudi project to drill wells and contribute to rural development in Africa. Under this project, Togo received $5 million from the Middle Eastern State. The facility was aimed at helping the West African nation to build 17 Mini drinking water conveyances and 15 Autonomous Water Stations (AEW), in its Central and Plateaux regions.
Active since March 1975, the SDF finances development projects in low-income countries through concessional loans.
WAEMU securities: In 2021, Togo’s outstanding debt stood at CFA1,537 billion
As of December 31, 2021, Togo's outstanding debt on the WAEMU market stood at CFA1,537 billion. That is CFA190 billion or 14% more than the figure reported for 2020.
The increase is mainly due to a surge in auctioned issues and long-term debt, as the country strives to reduce the refinancing risks associated with its domestic debt. Bonds issued through auctions rose from CFA1,191 billion to CFA1,414 billion (+18%). Meanwhile, syndicated operations slumped from CFA156 billion to CFA123 billion.
According to the latest available data, Togo's public debt is estimated at CFA2,768 billion (at the end of June 2021), or 59% of GDP. Its domestic debt is estimated at CFA1,756 billion, and most of it was raised on the WAEMU market.