Abu Dhabi: Togo Highlights PPP Experience at African

BRIEF

**HEADLINE:** Togo's PPP Model at Abu Dhabi Forum: Infrastructure Strategy for West African Investors

**META_DESCRIPTION:** Togo showcases public-private partnership experience at Abu Dhabi Investment Forum. What West African infrastructure investors need to know.

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## ARTICLE

Togo has positioned itself as a credible PPP operator in West Africa, presenting its infrastructure partnership model at the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum—a move that signals the country's confidence in attracting capital-intensive projects and demonstrating institutional maturity to Gulf investors.

The forum appearance underscores Togo's deliberate pivot toward private sector collaboration in infrastructure development. Over the past decade, Togo has executed several PPP transactions, including port modernization initiatives and energy projects, that have caught regional attention. By highlighting this experience in Abu Dhabi, Togo's government is directly courting sovereign wealth funds and Gulf-based infrastructure investors—a demographic increasingly focused on African opportunities as portfolio diversification.

### Why is Togo targeting Gulf investors for PPPs?

Togo's strategic positioning at the Abu Dhabi forum reflects a pragmatic shift in funding sources. Traditional multilateral lenders (World Bank, African Development Bank) face deployment constraints, while domestic capital markets remain underdeveloped. Gulf sovereign wealth funds, by contrast, have demonstrated sustained appetite for African infrastructure—particularly in energy, ports, and transport corridors. Togo's location as a coastal West African hub, coupled with its Francophone ties to neighboring markets (Benin, Burkina Faso), makes it an attractive entry point for investors seeking regional exposure.

### What PPP track record does Togo actually have?

Togo's portfolio includes the Port of Lomé concessioning agreement (Bolloré concession), which modernized container handling capacity and positioned Togo as a transshipment hub for landlocked Sahel countries. Energy PPPs have focused on independent power producer (IPP) models in solar and gas-fired generation. Water and sanitation projects have also attracted private operators. However, execution timelines on some projects have slipped, and revenue collection challenges persist—realities that Gulf investors will scrutinize carefully.

### How does Togo's PPP framework compare regionally?

Togo's legal framework for PPPs is relatively robust compared to peers like Guinea or Sierra Leone, though it lags Nigeria and Ghana in institutional depth. The country has established a PPP unit within the Ministry of Planning and established dispute resolution mechanisms aligned with UNCITRAL standards. Foreign exchange guarantees and revenue-backed security packages are typically offered, mitigating currency risk for Gulf investors. However, political stability remains a concern—Togo's track record of electoral tensions and constitutional disputes creates perception risk, even if recent elections have proceeded without major disruption.

The Abu Dhabi forum appearance is strategically timed. Infrastructure gaps in transport, energy, and logistics remain acute across West Africa, and capital flows from traditional sources have tightened. Togo is positioning itself as a "proven operator" in a competitive field. The next 18 months will test whether this diplomatic push converts into concrete funding commitments. Investors should monitor: (1) any new concession announcements; (2) sovereign credit ratings (Togo is B-rated by S&P); and (3) election scheduling in 2025—political certainty is essential for long-tenor PPP bankability.

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