制定务实可行的发展计划

过去40年，中国在非洲史无前例的投资，使得这个亚洲大国取代欧洲和北美，成为非洲最大的贸易伙伴。

中国不仅是非洲重要的经济伙伴，同时积极参与非洲大陆发展建设。多年来，基础设施问题一直阻碍非洲的工业化进程。在中国的援助下，非洲正积极解决这方面问题。如今，中非之间签署的各领域经济协议、非洲稳定的政治生态和不断优化的商业环境，促使中国投资者选定非洲大陆作为目标。

多哥投资优势

在非洲众多投资项目中，位于非洲西海岸的多哥无疑是一个优选目标。该国自然资源丰富，拥有近海石油、大理石、绿坡缕石、锰、石灰岩、铁、泥煤、黄金、铀等资源。其中，最主要的磷矿资源，占出口收益的40%以上。

多哥东靠贝宁，西接加纳，北邻布基纳法索，南濒几内亚湾，占地面积56786平方公里，南北长逾600公里，东西跨度50-150公里，拥有长约56公里的海岸线。

2016年，多哥人口约760万，官方语言为法语，但有相当一部分人（尤其是受过教育的）精通英语。2016年国内生产总值为26092亿非洲法郎。预计到2019年经济增长将达到5.0％，到2020年达到5.3％。
在投资方面，多哥东西跨度50-150公里，海岸线长56公里。政府不遗余力弥补基础设施弱项，这从产能多方位合作提供了无限可能性。同时，该国拥有廉价、密集且技术娴熟劳动力，能够为降低生产成本发挥重要作用。

如今，多哥与欧洲、美洲、亚洲和非洲等多个经济体建立了有利的双边和多边关系，因此被视为世界市场的目标地。

多哥的洛美·纳新贝·埃亚德玛国际机场是西非的第三大国际机场，以及一个天然的深水港。洛美港不仅承担了多哥进出口货物运输总量的90%，还负责将1/5的进口商品再出口至其他西非国家，其中50%运往布基纳法索，13%至马里，11%至尼日尔，26%运往贝宁、加纳和尼日利亚。

多哥拥有西非唯一的深水港。它的三个码头能够满足最新的大型货船和技术设备要求。这使其成为西非次区域主要的物流、配送和商业中心。

这一西非国家还以其拥有的非洲金融机构而骄傲，包括泛非经济银行（Ecobank）、泛非洲银行（Orabank）、西非开发银行和西非国家经济共同体投资发展银行。

多哥的国家发展计划

1983年以来，政府实施经济结构调整计划，推行自由经济政策，优先发展农业，大力支持中小企业。
1989年，多哥创建洛美出口加工区吸引外资。很快，多哥鼓励西方公司通过特许经营来购买或管理当地港口，进行装卸服务以及其他物流和接待活动。

2011年，多哥继续进行公共财政重组，实施经济振兴战略。同时，在严格规范财政政策基础上，保持宏观经济的稳定运行。同年6月，政府通过新的《自由贸易区法》通过。2012年1月，修订后的《投资法》获得批准。这是多哥减免债务后的第一个财政年，遵循严格财政政策的原则，政府继续深化改革。

为应对发展挑战，多哥政府制定并大力实施（2018-2022）国家发展计划，聚焦建设高质量物流及商业中心，以及农产品和固体矿产的加工中心，旨在引导私营部门发展，创造更多就业机会，加速经济增长。多哥政府表示，这一计划目标明确、切实可行，将推动国家快速发展。

在多哥，目前有很多适宜投资的项目，如连接塞内加尔、马里、科特迪瓦、布基纳法索、贝宁和多哥的南非—北非经济走廊铁路；以及长约1028公里，连接科特迪瓦、加纳、多哥、贝宁和尼日利亚的阿比让—拉各斯走廊铁路等。

中国－多哥关系

中国和多哥建交几十年以来，在不同领域开展了友好合作。深圳和多哥—洛美，以及深圳沙头角自由贸易区早在1996年就签署了友好协议。

多哥政府在与中国合作的计划中，重点强调建设高质量的物流和商业中心，以及农产品制造与工业加工中心，同时加强农业发展，以及教育领域的合作。今天，中国在新技术领域不断取得进步，因而，多哥可以从接受的中方在培训和大学基础设施的建设方面的支持中受益。

洛美大学孔子学院自2009年开始提供汉语语言课程。中卫生部门官员也在多哥提供医疗服务。

11月9日，中国驻多哥大使巢卫东在与多哥议会成员会晤时表示：“在当前形势下，中多友好关系的特点是相互信任、合作成果丰硕和交流多元化”。

根据商务部统计，截止2016年，近百家中资公司，包括中国民航机场建设集团公司、威海国际、中国银监会、华为和上海诺基亚贝尔股份有限公司等等都已经在多哥诸多领域开展合作项目，发挥积极作用。
不仅如此，在中多合作框架下，中国公司正在参与卡拉会议中心、安尼尔糖业合资公司、洛美体育场、总统府、洛美医院和钻井开发等许多重大项目。

像大多数非洲国家一样，多哥共和国正稳步推进与中华人民共和国之间的合作。多哥需要借鉴中国发展经验，巩固加深共赢伙伴关系，促进国家经济发展。因此，多哥市场对外资开放，特别是对中国企业家开放，以开展富有活力和效益的合作。由于多哥税收制度非常灵活，中国企业可以在其农业、卫生、教育、道路基础设施领域进行大胆投资。为促进投资，多哥可能在很长一段时间内对部分公司免征税收。
多哥的优质劳动力富足，投资企业可以招收到不同行业的工人。对于准备在多哥投资的公司来说，还有另外一个优势，那就是大多数多哥人既会说英语，又会说法语。

⬆中企承建的多哥洛美纳辛贝·埃亚德马国际机场新航站楼外景（新华社 张改萍摄）

多哥对两国合作的期待

综上所述，多哥期待与中国的合作。这里有灵活的税收体制和有利的营商环境，在中国的帮助下，多哥希望在实现其（2018-2022）国家发展计划道路上阔步前行。去年9月，多哥在中国杭州举办了一个商务论坛，推介了新的国家发展计划中有关物流、农产品加工、工业和能源等目标领域的五个重大项目。
如今，多哥用开放的外商投资环境和人民的热情好客，吸引着成千上万的中国、外国友人。

英文版

Why China should expand investment in Togo

By H.E. ABINA NESITANG  Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Togo in China

Africa, for the last two decades, has witnessed unprecedented increase of Chinese investments, that the Asian giant overtakes Europe and North America as Africa's largest trade partner.

China is not only Africa's important economic partner, but also actively involved in developing the continent. Through Chinese supports, Africa is impressively addressing the infrastructural challenges, which, for years, had been hindering its industrialization. Thanks to the plethora of economic agreements between both sides as well as the political stability and improved business climate in Africa, the continent is now a choiced destination for Chinese investors.

Togo investment advantage

As one of the investment destinations in Africa, Togo, a country on the west coast of Africa, offers great opportunities for investors. The country is endowed with enormous natural resources. It owns offshore oil, marble, attapulgites, manganese, limestone, iron, peat, gold, uranium, and above all, a very important phosphate deposit which represents more than 40% export earnings.

Surrounded by three countries, Benin in the east, Ghana in the west, Burkina Faso in the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the south, Togo has an area of 56,786 thousand square kilometers, with a length of over 600 kilometers from north to south, a width of between 50 and 150 kilometers from east to west and a coastline of 56 kilometers long.

In 2016, its population was approximately 7.6 million. Though the official language is French, a sizeable number of people (especially the educated) are fluent in English. The GDP in 2016 was 2609.2 billion FCFA. It is projected to reach 5.0% in 2019 and 5.3% in 2020.

With regard to investments, the Togolese Government is sparing no effort to fix infrastructural deficits. It's also offering unlimited possibilities for multidimensional cooperation in terms of capacity, and a low-cost, intensive and skilled workforce with great potential for reducing production costs.

Togo could be considered today as the destination for the world market with its favorable bilateral and multilateral relations with multiple economic entities in Europe, America, Asia and Africa.

The country has the third largest international airport in West Africa, Lomé Gnassingbe Eyadema International Airport and a natural harbor in deep water. The port of Lome not only processes more than 90% of Togo's imports and exports, but also re-exports about 1/5 of its imports to other West African countries – of which 50% is exported to Burkina Faso, Mali 13%, Niger 11% and 26% to Benin, Ghana and Nigeria.

Togo is known as the only deepwater port in the West Africa. It has three terminals capable of meeting the requirements of the latest generation of large freighters and technical equipment. This makes the country a leading logistics, distribution and business center in the sub-region.

The West African nation also boasts of the presence of leading financial institutions in Africa, including Ecobank, Orabank, West Africa Development Bank, Ecowas Bank for Investments and development.

Togo’s national development planning

Since 1983, the government has launched the economic structural adjustment plan by adopting free economic policies, giving priority to agricultural development and vigorously supporting SMEs.

In 1989, Togo created the Lomé export processing zone to attract foreign investment. In no time, Western companies were encouraged to buy or manage, through franchises, local port handling services and other logistics and hospitality activities.

In 2011, Togo continued the reorganization of public finances and the implementation of economic revitalization strategies, while maintaining a stable functioning of the macro-economy based on strict financial policies. New Free Trade Zone Laws were approved in June of the same year.In January 2012, the revised Investment Law was approved. This is the first fiscal year of Togo after its debt relief. Following the principle of implementing strict financial policies, the government has continued to deepen the reforms.

Thereby, to address the development challenges, the Togolese government has formulated, and vigorously implementing a four-year (2018-2022) National Development Plan, focusing on the establishment of high-quality logistics and business hubs, as well as the construction of processing centers for agricultural products and solid minerals. It aims to guide the development of the private sector, an important business segment with many job opportunities, to accelerate economic growth.

According to the Togolese authorities, Togo's National Development Plan is practical, achievable and will contribute to the country's rapid development.

Among the major projects that favor investments in the country are the railway of the South-North African economic corridor connecting Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo and the highway of Abidjan-Lagos corridor, 1,028 km long linking Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.

Sino-Togolese relations

Both countries enjoy friendly cooperation in different areas since establishing diplomatic ties decades ago. The city of Shenzhen and Togo – Lomé and Shenzhen Sha Tau Kok free trade zones – inked a friendship deal in 1996.

In its cooperation with China, the Togolese government has a plan focused on the establishment of high-quality logistics and business hubs, as well as on the construction of treatment centers and agricultural products manufacturing and industry To this must be added agricultural development and cooperation in the field of education. Today, with the Chinese advance in the field of new technologies, Togo can benefit from Chinese support for training and construction of school and university infrastructure.

Since 2009, University of Lome's Confucius Institute has been offering Chinese language course. Chinese health officials are also offering medical services in Togo.

On 9 November, Chinese Ambassador to Togo Chao Weidong, after a meeting with the Togolese Parliament, said that "in the current state of affairs, the friendship relationship between China and Togo are marked by trust, fruitful cooperation and diversified exchanges ".

In 2016, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce, nearly a hundred Chinese-funded companies, including China Airport Construction Corporation, Weihai International, CBRC, Huawei and Bell Shanghai, have been active in a number of areas in Togo.

That's not all. Under Sino-Togolese cooperation, large number of major projects such as the Kara Congress Center, the Anier Sugar joint venture, the Lomé stadium, the presidential palace, the Lomé hospital and well drilling are being executed by Chinese firms.

Like most African states, the cooperation between the Republic of Togo and the People's Republic of China is on a solid track. Togo needs the Chinese experience to boost its economy in a win-win partnership. Thus, the Togolese market is open to foreign investment, especially to Chinese entrepreneurs in a dynamic and beneficial cooperation for all. Today, agriculture, health, education, road infrastructure are areas in which Chinese companies can invest without any risk because Togo has a very flexible tax system. Some companies may be tax-free for a good period to facilitate their investments.

In Togo, it is also possible to find a qualified and available workforce allowing companies operating in Togo to find workers in the different sectors. Another advantage for companies wishing to invest in Togo is that most Togolese speak both English and French.

What are Togo's expectations in its cooperation with China?

As mentioned above, Togo looks forward to its cooperation with the People's Republic of China. With its flexible tax regime and favorable to the creation of businesses, Togo relies on China to make its contribution to the National Development Plan (PND) 2018-2022. In September of last year, Togo organized a business forum in Hangzou, China. During this forum, the country presented five major structuring projects of the new NDP in the targeted areas of logistics, agri-food, industry and energy.
Today, there are thousands of Chinese and foreigners in Togo, thanks to the country's openness to foreign investments and Togolese hospitality.