Chyna Lawson: Our country's participation highlights investment opportunities and cultural wealth

Togo: "Expo Dubai" is a global platform for communication

  • Togo's pavilion at the "Expo Dubai" showcases the advantages of his country to visitors

  • Minister of Digital Economy: "Togo's participation in Expo 2020 Dubai is an opportunity to establish new partnerships."

  • Happy Togolese while celebrating their National Day at Expo.

    Photography: Najeeb Mohamed

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The Minister of Digital Economy and Digital Transformation of the Republic of Togo, China Lawson, confirmed that there are close relations between her country and the UAE, noting that "Expo 2020 Dubai" is a global platform for communication between all participating countries in the framework of strengthening cooperation at the global level, and it is an important opportunity. To introduce the potentials that countries possess and the investment fields that they offer in the framework of building partnerships and businesses.

Lawson added to "Emirates Today", on the sidelines of the international exhibition, that the importance of Togo's participation also lies in the fact that millions of visitors from around the world, along with many companies and institutions, learn about the pavilions and the participating countries in one site, pointing out that this stimulates Visitors and participants, and provides them with sufficient information to visit the participating countries later, whether for tourism or to start businesses or projects.

She stated that Togo's participation in "Expo 2020 Dubai" is an opportunity for it to establish new partnerships between the public and private sectors to implement development projects that work in various fields, pointing out that the pavilion of her country participating in the exhibition also highlights its investment potential and its cultural and tourism wealth and the ingredients it possesses.

The Minister stated that Togo had recently attracted investments from the UAE in the field of clean energy, as the Mohammed bin Zayed Solar Energy Complex was inaugurated, and the first phase was completed during the last period, despite the "Covid-19" pandemic, and the production capacity of the project will reach in the two phases within The complex to 70 MW.

"This project is an excellent example of cooperation and other areas in which we can work during the coming period between the two countries, and the second phase of the project will allow more production capacity and support Togo's directions to increase reliance on clean energy sources," she said. And she indicated that "the UAE is well known in terms of technological fields besides artificial intelligence, and from our point of view we would like to be able to cooperate in this field during the coming period, in addition to the financial and logistical fields, as we have the most important port in West Africa, in addition to the strong position Our international airport, which supports the logistics sector in Togo, and also opens the way for great investment opportunities.”Regarding the advantages offered by her country, she said, “We offer tax exemptions to attract investments in Togo, and this is important in the context of strengthening and enhancing the attractiveness of our investment environment in front of international companies that can obtain more exemptions in some sectors and locations of their choice to start their business, and we also offer many incentives. And the necessary facilities for companies seeking to start their business in Togo, including providing the necessary manpower.”

During the celebration of Togo's National Day at "Expo 2020 Dubai", the day before yesterday, the Togolese audience, who attended in national costumes, welcomed the "Toufan" band, the award-winning musical duo, with loud cheers, dancing and interaction with them as they performed their songs to the beat of music that mixes rap and music. urban, which is very popular in Africa and all over the world.

Mohammed bin Zayed Solar Energy Complex

Last June, the "Mohammed bin Zayed Solar Energy Complex" was inaugurated in Bleita Governorate in Togo, with a production capacity of 50 megawatts in the first phase, to reach 70 megawatts at the end of the year, with an investment volume of 221 million dirhams.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development contributed to financing the first phase of the Mohammed bin Zayed Solar Energy Complex at a value of 55 million dirhams. sustainable economic development in developing countries around the world.

The complex is the largest renewable energy project in West Africa, located in the Centrale region, on an area of ​​92 hectares, and about 160,000 housing units will benefit from this phase.

The second phase will provide energy for about 60,000 additional housing units, raising the number of beneficiaries to about 225,000 housing units.

numbers

According to the World Bank Group, Togo, located on the west coast of Africa, is home to about 8.5 million people.

According to the African Development Bank, Togo did not feel the brunt of “Covid-19”, compared to other countries on the African continent, but the effects of the epidemic halted its dynamic economic performance, as real GDP grew by 5% in 2018 and 5.5% in 2019, and 0 Only 4% in 2020, due to the decline in foreign direct investment, portfolio investments, migrant remittances, and the slowdown in global trade, noting that inflation doubled from 0.7% in 2019 to 1.6% in 2020, mainly due to supply disruptions, expecting the Togolese economy to recover by 4.3 % in 2021 and 5.6 % in 2022, driven by the agricultural sector and the resumption of investment in transportation and energy as well as the manufacturing sector.

• 70 megawatts will be reached by the Mohammed bin Zayed Solar Energy Complex in Togo.


• 8.5 million people, the population of this African country.

Minister of Digital Economy:

• "Togo has recently attracted investments from the UAE in clean energy."