Political Parties In total there are over 100 registered parties in Togo. The ruling party is the Union pour la République (Unir), the successor to the Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais (RPT), which was dissolved by President Faure Gnassingbé on April 14, 2012. The formerly strongest opposition party, the Union des Forces de Changement (UFC), was… Read More »
Culinary One of the special features of Togolese cuisine is fufu, a firm puree made from boiled and mashed pieces of jam and pâte or akoumé, a firm porridge made from corn flour. Gari, which is made from cassava, plays an important role on the Togolese menu. Various delicious sauces are served with these plats… Read More »
Independence Day: April 27, 1960 Head of state: President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé Head of government: Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah Dogbe Political system: Presidential multiparty system Democracy Status Index (BTI): Rank 78 of 137 (2020) Corruption Index (CPI): Rank 123 of 180 (2019) Ibrahim Index of African Governance: Rank 30 of 54 (2018) Currency: Franc CFA… Read More »
Entry A valid visa is required to enter Togo. You can receive visa applications at the Togolese embassy in Berlin or at the consulates. You will also need the yellow international vaccination book with proof of yellow fever vaccination. The Federal Foreign Office publishes the entry regulations for German citizens to Togo. For a longer… Read More »
Religion It is difficult to give concrete figures about religious affiliations. One of the reasons for this is that many Togoers do not see this question with the unequivocal exclusivity that we take for granted. For some of the believers it is not a contradiction in terms to additionally make sure of the traditional powers… Read More »
Literature Over a period of around 50 years, around one hundred Togolese authors came out with literary publications. The more than 200 publications are novels, short stories, poems, plays, autobiographies, as well as some works of literary criticism and dissertations on literary topics. Togolese fairy tales and legends were collected and published by Leo Frobenius… Read More »
At the beginning of a promising world career, the only 28-year-old Bella Bellow died in 1973 in a traffic accident and thus became an icon of Togolese music. On the 40th anniversary of her death, Junior Fadairo produced a homage ‘Bella Bellow – L’Eternel’ and GhanaWeb commemorated ‘La Blueswoman d’Afrique’. The film clip ‘Reines et… Read More »
Culture From an economic point of view, Togo is one of the poorer countries in Africa, but it has an extraordinary wealth of cultural diversity. First of all, the writers and theater makers, the musicians and dancers and the representatives of the visual arts, who have achieved an international reputation far beyond the borders of… Read More »
The health system in Togo is inadequate, especially in the rural and northern regions. But also in Lomé the conditions of doctors’ offices and hospitals are mostly very bad. In general, if you have no money, you also have no access to medical care. So it is hardly surprising that traditional medicine and healers continue… Read More »
Fewer official deaths than expected Six months after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Togo, there are 41 deaths according to official information (as of September 20, 2020). The government provides information on the current spread of the pandemic on a specially set up website. The numbers do not correspond to the initially suspected… Read More »
The Togolese school system is based on the French model. It consists of the six-year primary school (with compulsory schooling), the two-tier secondary school and the universities. Unfortunately, the current school situation is extremely inadequate and in need of reform. In addition, there are great inequalities in the use of the already ailing education system.… Read More »
According to the constitution of the IV Republic of 1992, there is equality between women and men, but the practice – as in many areas – is different. Apart from theoretical equality, little has been done in the legal system to reduce the disadvantage of women. Added to this is the still high weighting of… Read More »
According to the Human Development Index – HDI from 2019, Togo ranks 167th out of 188 countries and – as in most rankings – has declined in recent years. Factors such as poverty, inadequate health care and poor education are still characteristic of about two thirds of the population, especially in rural areas. The IMF… Read More »
Alphabetized adults: 63.7% (2018, HDR) Major religions: Trad. Rel. 50%, Christianity 30%, Islam 20% Urban population: 42% (2018, HDR) Life expectancy (female / male): 62/60 years (2018, HDR) Gender Inequality Index: Rank 140 of 162 (2018, HDR) Number of births: 4.38 / woman (2017, estimated) Child mortality (under 5): 73/1000 live births (2018, HDR) Ethnic… Read More »
In March 2019, the government presented the Plan National de Developpement for 2018-2022 (PND). The PND is the continuation of the Stratégie de Croissance accélérée et de Promotion de l’Emploi (SCAPE) – the economic strategy paperfrom 2013 to 2017. It envisages various major projects in the areas of trade and logistics, agriculture and industrial processing.… Read More »
Because of the serious human rights violations of the Eyadema regime, international development cooperation with Togo was suspended for almost 20 years. Eyadema’s son Faure Gnassingbé has ruled the country since 2005. His main goal after taking power was to regain international support for Togo’s development. In 2007 the European Union resumed its cooperation with… Read More »
Foreign trade Since the founding of Popovi / Aného in the 17th century and of Lomé in 1877, the coast of Togo has been part of Atlantic trade, which has shaped the mentality of the south to this day. Regardless of whether cigarettes are sold in detail in the informal sector or whether goods are… Read More »
Energy Togo can only produce part of the electricity it needs itself and is dependent on electricity imports from Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The government has ambitious plans for the country’s energy supply. A nationwide power supply is to be achieved throughout Togo by 2030, 50% of which will be from renewable energies. Currently… Read More »
Agriculture and animal husbandry Agriculture in Togo is dominated by smallholdings. The cultivation takes place in the family association with almost exclusively traditional cultivation methods, without mineral fertilizers or machines, and usually ensures self-sufficiency with basic foodstuffs. The demographic development increases the population pressure on the scarce land resources, which can ultimately only be countered… Read More »
During the German colonial era, Togo was considered a “model colony” that was economically very profitable. It supplied coveted goods such as cotton, peanuts, rubber and coffee. The Germans built several railway lines for the transport of goods, some of which are still in use today. A 300m long jetty in the sea was also… Read More »
Estimated GDP: US $ 5.5 billion (2019) Per capita income (purchasing power parity): 1650 US $ (2019) Human Development Rank (HDI): Rank 167 of 189 (2018) Proportion of poverty (national poverty line): 55.1% (2015) Distribution of income (Gini coefficient): 43.1 (2018, HDR) Economic Transformation Index (BTI): Rank 89 of 137 (2020) Economic situation Although there… Read More »
The economic structure of Togo is still characterized by the disparity resulting from the colonial era between the well-connected south and the north, which is largely based on traditional subsistence farming. Apart from the phosphate deposits (in smaller quantities also limestone, marble and other natural resources), Togo is an agricultural country that is poor in… Read More »
At the beginning of December 2009, Togo received its own domain from Google: Google.tg, with the optionthe language selection of French or Ewé. The International Institute for Sustainable Development published a detailed study on the support of interest groups in a public, internet-supported political dialogue with experiences from Togo. In June 2011 there were around… Read More »
With the national conference that took place in 1991, the media landscape changed suddenly and a large number of media replaced the exclusively state-controlled media. Although a new press law was introduced in 2004, independent reporting has improved significantly under the new President Faure Gnassingbé, but it continues to be threatened by government restrictions. On… Read More »
Human rights The human rights situation in Togo is precarious and in 1993 it was the reason for the break with the international community. Only after reforms under Faure Gnassingbé from 2006 onwards was the civil rights situation improved and freedom of expression and press introduced. Under Eyadema Gnassingbé, there was a climate of fear… Read More »
In the political disputes and power struggles in Togo, since the emergence of the young state, two irreconcilable power blocs seemed to be facing each other: North versus South, the RPT and the UFC, the military and the merchants, the Gnassingbé and Olympio families in permanent clinic. While under Eyadema there was a climate of… Read More »
Parliamentary elections 2013 In the parliamentary elections on July 25, 2013, 26 parties ran. The clear winner was the ruling party UNIR – Union pour la République, which, according to the official result, received 62 out of 91 seats. The opposition Collectif Sauvons le Togo – CST won 19 seats, 6 seats went to the… Read More »
After Eyadema Gnassingbé’s death, the 2005 presidential elections were used to establish his son Faure Gnassingbé as his successor. The elections were very violent, killing over 500 people, injuring thousands and triggering a mass exodus in which around 30-40,000 citizens fled to neighboring Ghana and Benin, which have since returned. In October 2006 an independent… Read More »
Foreign policy issues In the past, Togo’s foreign policy relations were directed towards the European Union, the United Nations and the various African organizations and alliances. Togo has a good and tension-free relationship with all three neighboring countries. After the western donor countries terminated their cooperation in 1993, Togo looked for new partners and intensified… Read More »
Located on the Guinea coast of West Africa, Togo extends as a narrow corridor about 550 km inland and offers an astonishing variety of landscapes and natural spaces in a small area. The more than 40 different peoples live together peacefully, if not always without tension and have preserved their traditional culture. Military The military,… Read More »