This is a new measure that was eagerly awaited in the mobility sector in Togo. In this West African country, the government exempts electric vehicles from paying import duties. This measure, which is part of the authorities’ desire to accelerate the development of the green economy, stipulates that any transport vehicle that does not use diesel or petrol will henceforth benefit from State approval in order to enter the country in a legal and serene manner.
The approval will be issued jointly by the Ministries of Environment and Trade in collaboration with the Togolese Revenue Office (OTR) as part of the updating of a decree signed on 11 August 2021 by President Faure Gnassingbé in favour of economic operators. “For the completion of customs clearance formalities for electric or hybrid vehicles, as well as batteries intended for their power supply, an approval issued by a joint order of the Minister of Trade and the Minister of the Environment is required at the customs cordon,” explains the Commissioner General of the OTR, Adedzé Kodjo.
The development of the green economy
Still within the framework of this fiscal policy favourable to electric mobility in Togo, we learn that the executive headed by Victoire Tomegah-Dogbé has instructed a new 100% rebate on customs duties on the import of new electric motorbikes (two-wheeled vehicles) for the coming year.
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In Togo, a company assembling electric motorbikes and three-wheelers started its activities in September 2021 at the Plateforme industrielle d’Adétikopé (PIA) where it is located. The structure, led by the Indian specialist in rickshaws (tricycles) and electric vehicles, M Auto Electric, plans to produce 1,000 vehicles per day for the local market. Eventually, M Auto Electric plans to install recharging stations in the capital Lomé and subsequently in the West African sub-regional market, which will create nearly 2,000 jobs for young people and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi