• Togo hosts UK-WCAF trade forum, first held on African soil
• Talks focus on UK-Francophone Africa investment, trade, and market reforms
• Togo, UK sign MoU covering infrastructure, agriculture, and agro-industry

Togo’s Council President, Faure Gnassingbé, opened the fourth UK-West and Central Francophone Africa (UK-WCAF) trade and investment forum in Lomé on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The event, held for the first time on African soil, brought together nearly 700 participants, including policymakers, investors and business leaders from about ten countries.

The two-day program features country presentations, thematic panels, roundtables, B2B meetings and networking sessions. Discussions are focusing on investment opportunities, trade partnerships and financing tools aimed at strengthening economic cooperation between the United Kingdom and Francophone West and Central Africa. Participants are also highlighting national economic priorities and recent reforms designed to make their markets more attractive.

“We are opening a new chapter today in the partnership between the United Kingdom and Francophone Africa. Investing in Togo means entering the growth corridor linking Lagos, Cotonou, Lomé, Accra and Abidjan, and gaining access to both Francophone and Anglophone markets,” Gnassingbé said, referring to a regional market of more than 450 million people.

For Togo, which has stepped up efforts in recent years to improve its business climate and attract foreign investment, the forum offers an opportunity to showcase its strengths in trade and logistics, including its deep-water port and competitive fiscal reforms.

A memorandum of understanding covering several key sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture and agro-industry, was signed at the opening session between the Togolese government and British economic actors.

Gnassingbé urged participants to pursue long-term partnerships. “We encourage our British partners to look to the future with us, to invest not only in traditional infrastructure but also in Africa’s new growth frontiers: the green economy, the local processing of critical raw materials, digital finance and creative industries,” he said.

Octave Bruce