Five years after its launch, Togo’s Automated Marking System (SAM) has demonstrated significant economic and fiscal benefits. Since its introduction in 2020, this innovative tool has been instrumental in fighting fraud, ensuring the safety of consumer goods, and enhancing tax collection efforts. It has successfully tracked over 2 billion products and registered more than 600 economic operators, as reported during a national workshop in Lomé.
Currently, the SAM focuses on monitoring products such as water, beer, juice, wine, tobacco, and alcoholic beverages, resulting in a total revenue of 35.8 billion CFA francs for the tax authorities. Notably, the beer industry alone accounted for 5 billion CFA francs from 2022 to 2024, as highlighted by Esso-Wavana Adoyi, the chairman of the marking commission, at the meeting.
Expanding the Marking
Building on these successes, authorities are planning to broaden the scope of labeling to include additional products such as sugar, oils, cement, fuel, cosmetics, fertilizers, and minerals. This initiative aims to further enhance traceability, combat counterfeiting, and improve the overall business environment.
According to Akou Mawussé Adétou Afidenyigba, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Economy, who represented the supervising minister at the workshop, the SAM aligns perfectly with the government’s 2020-2025 economic modernization strategy. Stakeholders are now focused on increasing controls and inspections to address the existing gaps within the system in Togo.
