Doing business: the good and bad students of the 2020 ranking

Sani Yaya, Minister of Finance of Togo.

From Togo, the best African student in the Doing Business 2020 report published this Thursday, October 24, in Lesotho, the worst, Financial Afrik presents the evolution of progress in all the countries of the continent concerned by the annual ranking of the World Bank.

« These results are remarkable, excellent and exceptional. They translate three things: vision, ambition and political will. Thus commented on Thursday in Lome, Sani Yaya, the Minister of Economy and Finance of Togo (photo), the ranking of his country Doing Business 2020 report. A satisfaction mixed emotions that, of course, are not the same in all African countries.

Indeed, if Lomé, with a 40-place leap, is leading the reformers of the continent, Lesotho achieves the worst harvest this season with 16 points lost compared to the ranking Doing Business 2019. The landlocked country in the Southeast Africa is followed in this direction by Djibouti (-13), Sudan (-9), Rwanda (-9), Gambia (-6) and Cape Verde (-6).

Seychelles, Ghana, Swaziland, Mauritania, Guinea and Angola each lose four points, while Mali and Mozambique lose three points. Botswana, Cameroon, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, Chad and the Central African Republic regress one place, and do better than South Africa, the continent’s leading mining economy, which falls by two places.

According to Doing Business 2020, only 21 of the 54 economies ranked in Africa are making progress, ie a rate of 39%. Togo, ranked 97th in the world, is followed by Senegal, 123rd, which gleans some 18 places ahead of Nigeria (+15) and Zimbabwe (+15). Ivory Coast, WAEMU’s largest economy, closed the Top 5 with 12 places won, against 11 for Niger and Uganda.

Mauritius, undisputed leader in Africa, is offering seven points this year to consolidate its position. It is the same for Morocco (+7), the best reforming country in North Africa, followed by Egypt (+6) and Kenya (+5). Benin and Comoros are also among the top performers with gains of 4 points each, just ahead of Namibia (+3), Tanzania (+3), Tunisia (+2), Zambia (+2), Malawi (+2) and Burundi (+2). Guinea-Bissau and the DRC are also advancing, but one step ahead.

In addition, twelve countries from all parts of Africa maintain their position. Burkina Faso (151st out of 190), Algeria (157th), Ethiopia (159th), Madagascar (161st), Sierra Leone (163rd), Gabon (169th), Sao Tome & Principe (170th), Congo (180th), South Sudan (185th), Libya (186th), Eritrea (189th) and Somalia (190th) stagnate.

Established since 2003, Doing Business is a World Bank report that assesses the business environment.

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