Location:
Western Africa
Capital City:
Lome
Area:
total: 56,785 sq km
land: 54,385 sq km
water: 2,400 sq km
Land boundaries:
Total: 1,880 km
border countries (3):
Benin 651 km,
Burkina Faso 131 km,
Ghana 1,098 km
Coastline: 56 km
Total: 1936 km
Togo
Climate:
tropical;
hot, humid in south;
semiarid in north
Terrain:
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Elevation:
mean elevation: 236 m
elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Land use:
agricultural land: 67.4%
arable land 45.2%; permanent crops 3.8%; permanent pasture 18.4%
forest: 4.9%
other: 27.7% (2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
70 sq km (2012)
Population – distribution:
one of the more densely populated African nations with most of the population residing in rural communities, density is highest in the south on or near the Atlantic coast
Natural hazards:
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
People and Society
In November 2017, Togo a population is about 7,965,055 more than double the total counted in the last census. Togo’s population is estimated to have grown to four times its size between 1960 and 2010. With nearly 60% of its populace under the age of 25 and a high annual growth rate attributed largely to high fertility, Togo’s population is likely to continue to expand for the foreseeable future. Reducing fertility, boosting job creation, and improving education will be essential to reducing the country’s high poverty rate. In 2008, Togo eliminated primary school enrollment fees, leading to higher enrollment but increased pressure on limited classroom space, teachers, and materials. Togo has a good chance of achieving universal primary education, but educational quality, the underrepresentation of girls, and the low rate of enrollment in secondary and tertiary schools remain concerns.
Togo is both a country of emigration and asylum. In the early 1990s, southern Togo suffered from the economic decline of the phosphate sector and ethnic and political repression at the hands of dictator Gnassingbe EYADEMA and his northern, Kabye-dominated administration. The turmoil led 300,000 to 350,000 predominantly southern Togolese to flee to Benin and Ghana, with most not returning home until relative stability was restored in 1997. In 2005, another outflow of 40,000 Togolese to Benin and Ghana occurred when violence broke out between the opposition and security forces over the disputed election of EYADEMA’s son Faure GNASSINGBE to the presidency. About half of the refugees reluctantly returned home in 2006, many still fear for their safety. Despite ethnic tensions and periods of political unrest, Togo in September 2017 was home to more than 9,600 refugees from Ghana.
Population:
7,965,055(July 2017 est.)
Nationality:
Togolese
Ethnic groups:
African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
Languages:
French (official, the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
Religions:
Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%
Ethnicity, Language, and Religion
There are about 40 different ethnic groups, the most numerous of which are the Ewe in the south who make up 32% of the population. Along the southern coastline, they account for 21% of the population. Also found are Kotokoli or Tem and Tchamba in the center and the Kabye people in the north (22%). The Ouatchis are 14% of the population. Sometimes the Ewes and Ouatchis are considered the same, but the French who studied both groups considered them different people. Other Ethnic groups include the Mina, Mossi, and Aja people (about 8%). There is also a European population who make up less than 1%.
French is the official language. Most newspapers are printed in French, and trade and commerce passing through Anécho and Lomé usually are conducted in that language; however, the public schools combine French with Ewe and Mina in the south, Kabiye, and Dagomba in the north. In northern Togo, Hausa is also widely spoken. Pidgin English and French are used widely in the principal trading towns. In all, more than 44 different languages and dialects are spoken in Togo.
Almost half of the population adheres to various ancestral forms of belief, including Yoruba-based sects associated with Vodou (Voodoo). About one-third of Togo’s population s Christian, many of whom are Roman Catholic, although there are also substantial Protestant, independent, and other Christian communities. Since independence, the Roman Catholic Church in Togo has been headed by a Togolese archbishop. The main Protestant (Calvinist) church has been governed for a long time by Togolese moderators. More than one-six of the population is Muslim.
Education
Education in Togo is compulsory for six years. The education system has had teacher shortages, lower education quality in rural areas, and high repetition and dropout rates. In the north part of the country, 41 percent of the primary school teachers are remunerated by the parents compared with only 17 percent in Lome, where incomes are substantially higher. Despite the increase in the number of school kids, education in Togo is insufficient. The educational system of Togo is patterned on the French model that has the three levels of primary, secondary and higher education.
The primary education is free and compulsory for children six years of age and lasts for six years. The secondary education follows the primary level and is offered for 12-year old children and consists of two cycles of four years for the first, and three years for the second cycle for a total of seven years. Higher education is offered in universities and colleges that have programs of study leading to baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Among these institutions is the University of Lome, which was founded in 1970 and has schools of humanities and sciences; the University Institute of Technology; and the University of Kara, which was founded in 1974 and offers various courses of study.
The abolition of school fees in the primary schools in 2008 was a welcome development in the country, especially for parents and children who used to pay at least US$4 per day per child for school fees, which had impeded the goal of education for all. The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has partnered with the national government and local agencies to ensure free access by children to free and quality education at the primary level as it continues to provide financial and technical support. To benefit every child in Togo, UNICEF also finances a study on the impact of the abolition of school fees, with the results and recommendations that can be used to help the government to implement a program of reforms for the basic education in the country.
Economy
Togo has enjoyed a period of steady economic growth fueled by political stability and a concerted effort by the government to modernize the country’s commercial infrastructure, but discontent with President Faure GNASSINGBE has led to a rapid rise in protests, creating downside risks. The country completed an ambitious large-scale infrastructure improvement program, including new principal roads, a new airport terminal, and a new sea-port. The economy depends heavily on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for around 60% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton and other agricultural products generate about 20% of export earnings with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is among the world’s largest producers of phosphate and seeks to develop its carbonate phosphate reserves, which provide more than 20% of export earnings.
Togo’s economic growth decelerated in 2017, a reflection of political tensions and fiscal consolidation, slowing to an estimated 4.4 percent from 5.1 percent in 2016—its growth rate was driven largely by the good performance of the agricultural sector, which accounts for about 40% of GDP and over 60% of employment. Favorable rainfall, the use of new farming techniques, and the distribution of improved seeds to poor farmers all helped agriculture. Construction suffered from the retrenchment of public capital spending, while political tension had a negative impact on private sector commerce. Extractive industries and trade also contribute to the national economy.
Inflation in Togo has remained under control, averaging -0.7% in 2017 thanks to the prudent monetary policy followed by members of the La Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, BCEAO, and low food prices. The external current account deficit dropped from 11.1 percent of GDP in 2015 to 9.6 percent in 2016, and 8.2 percent in 2017, due to a fall in imports and increase in exports. The internal public deficit, though, remained large, reflecting the undiversified nature of Togo’s economy; it was financed by non-concessional government borrowing from local banks and Foreign Direct Investment.
The government’s decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly. Togo completed its IMF Extended Credit Facility in 2011 and reached a Heavily Indebted Poor Country debt relief completion point in 2010 at which 95% of the country’s debt was forgiven. Togo continues to work with the IMF on structural reforms, and in January 2017, the IMF signed an Extended Credit Facility arrangement consisting of a three-year $238 million loan package. Progress depends on follow through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors. Togo’s 2018 economic growth probably remained steady at 5.0%, largely driven by infusions of foreign aid, infrastructure investment in the port and mineral sectors, and improvements in the business climate. Foreign direct investment inflows have slowed in recent years
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.43 billion (2017 est.)
$11.84 billion (2016 est.)
$11.28 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.797 billion (2017 est.)
GDP – real growth rate:
5% (2017 est.)
5% (2016 est.)
5.3% (2015 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2017 est.)
$1,600 (2016 est.)
$1,500 (2015 est.)
Gross national saving:
17.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
17.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
15.9% of GDP (2015 est.)
GDP – composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 28.1%
industry: 21.6%
services: 50.3% (2017 est.)
Agriculture – products:
coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (manioc, tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish
Industries:
phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages
Population below poverty line:
55.1% (2015 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.469 billion
expenditures: $1.7 billion (2017 est.)
Agriculture
Agriculture is the most important sector to most Togolese. It employs two-thirds of the active population, who predominantly work on small land holdings. Food crops (mainly cassava, yams, maize, millet, and sorghum) account for two-thirds of production and are mostly used domestically. Togo’s cash crops are mainly cocoa, coffee, cotton, and to a lesser extent, palm oil. These cash crops provide a valuable return for small farmers, and they provide 40 percent of exports. Some foodstuffs need to be imported. The main imported foodstuff is rice, although production has increased 6-fold since the mid-1980s. Production increased by 9.1 percent in 1999 due to good weather, although depressed world prices for exports affected Togo (especially in cotton).
Agricultural exports are dominated by cotton. The cotton production sector employs 230,000 people, predominantly small farmers. Cultivation has expanded rapidly since the mid-1980s. Output has quadrupled from the 1985-1986 season to 200,000 metric tons in 1998, stabilizing at 190,000 metric tons in the 1999-2000 season. About 163,420 hectares were under cotton cultivation during the 1999-2000 season. Soil degradation is likely to become a problem.
Most farmers are under contract to the state-owned marketing board, Sotoco. In 1995 Sotoco lost its monopoly on processing and the external marketing of cotton, and a private company, Sicot, was given export and processing rights. Sotoco still has a dominant purchasing position and is the sole provider of fertilizers and pesticides. Several new ginning plants opened in the late 1990s, and they should be running at full capacity by early 2001.
Cocoa and coffee production appear less important than cotton, but unrecorded cross-border trade distorts the figures. Togo’s production of these 2 commodities is small compared to its neighbors, producing 13,000 metric tons of coffee and 9,000 metric tons of cocoa in 1998. The state-owned OPAT was in charge of marketing, processing, and exporting until 1996 when private companies were introduced.
Electricity access:
population without electricity: 5,000,000
electrification – total population: 27%
electrification – urban areas: 35%
electrification – rural areas: 21% (2013)
Electricity – production:
78.8 million kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – consumption:
1.213 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – exports:
0 million kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – imports:
1.242 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – installed generating capacity:
229,000 kW (2015 est.)
Electricity – from fossil fuels:
69.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Electricity – from nuclear fuels:
0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Telephones – fixed lines:
total subscriptions: 33,817
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (July 2016 est.)
Telephones – mobile cellular:
total: 5,505,424
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 69 (July 2016 est.)
Internet country code:
.tg
Internet users:
total: 877,310
percent of population: 11.3% (July 2016 est.)
Industry and Mining
Mining generated about 33.9% of GDP in 2012 and employed 12% of the population in 2010. Togo has the fourth largest phosphate deposits in the world. Their production is 2.1 million tons per year. Since the mid-90s, however, there has been a decline in the mining industry and government will need to invest heavily to sustain it. The mining industry is facing difficulties due to falling phosphate prices on world markets and increasing foreign competition. There are also reserves of limestone, marble, and salt. The industry provides only 20.4% of national income because it consists only of a few of light industry and builders. Large reserves of limestone allow Togo to produce cement.
Togo’s mineral sector primarily consisted of cement, iron ore, limestone, phosphate rock, and to a lesser extent, diamond production. Historically, mining has had an insignificant role in the country’s economy. Togo ranked 19th in the world in phosphate rock production, by tonnage of output, in 2014. The country also produced more than 1.8 million metric tons (Mt) of limestone, which was used locally in the production of cement. Undeveloped mineral resources included bauxite, gypsum, ilmenite, rutile, and zinc.
Under its 2018-2022 national development plan which is being finalized, Togo’s government plans to establish a manufacturing hub and two industrial parks in the country. Each of the parks will have 15 intensive factories producing textile, shoes, among others, for export. Indeed, the plan should help boost Togolese textile exports to many countries, such as the U.S (in line with AGOA).
The current project will focus on boosting local know-how, cotton production and improve the search for strategic foreign partners. It is expected to capture up to CFA1,000 billion of foreign direct investments from 2018 to 2022. Efforts to improve business climate should contribute to that. The project aims at creating 100,000 jobs over the considered period. In this framework, the government intends to develop value chains of major subsectors of Togo’s agro-industry. Based on this, it eyes an annual growth of 10% of the industrial and manufacturing sectors.
Banking and Finance
The bank of issue is the Central Bank of the West African States (Banque Centrale des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest-BCEAO), based in Dakar, which also acts in that capacity for Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. Togo has a 10% share in the BCEAO, the development bank of which has its headquarters in Lomé. The most important commercial and savings banks include the Banque Internationale de L’Afrique (BIA), ECOBANK Togo, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, the Libyan Arab-Togolese Bank of Foreign Commerce, the Banque Togolaise de Commerce et de L’Industrie (BTCI), and the Union Bank of Togo (the latter two with a state share of 35%).
Development banks include the Togolese Development Bank, founded in 1967, which has a 50% state share; the 36.4% state-owned National Farm Credit Fund; and the state-owned National Investment Co., which is intended to mobilize savings, guarantee loans to small- and medium-sized domestic enterprises, and amortize the public debt. The banking and credit systems are not well developed, and large sections of the population remain outside the monetary economy. The banking system was virtually shut down by the general strike in the first half of 1993 and a limited service operated until the second half of 1994.
The International Monetary Fund reports that in 2001, currency and demand deposits—an aggregate is commonly known as M1—were equal to $220.3 million. In that same year, M2—an aggregate equal to M1 plus savings deposits, small time deposits, and money market mutual funds—was $327.0 million. The money market rate, the rate at which financial institutions lend to one another in the short term, was 4.95%. The discount rate, the interest rate at which the central bank lends to financial institutions in the short term, was 6.5%.
Tourism
Togo is just a thin sliver of West Africa; a line of land that ranges from the Atlantic Ocean to the depths of inland Burkina Faso. But size has never been an issue for this culturally-rich place sandwiched between Benin and much-bigger Ghana. Still endearingly and excitingly off-the-beaten-track, it bursts from the region in a medley of misty mountains and swamps, winding rivers and muddy backcountry, all trodden by the occasional elephant herd and bushbuck.
In the south, the salty spray of the Atlantic crashes against the beaches, and little lagoons host water sporting locals all the while. The capital at Lome ticks over to the buzz of modern energy, still proud of its elegant Parisian-style boulevards and cafes. And deep in the north, the Sahel takes over. It’s here that the savannah dominates, and the mysterious adobe villages of Koutammakou pop up – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s certainly worth the visit!
Place of Attraction
Lake Togo is located at about a 45-minute drive from Lome. Close to the lake’s northern shore is Togoville, the center of the local voodoo cult. Take a boat ride on the lake to Togoville to visit its shrines and the ancient German Cathedral which dominates the town. Also visit the traditional museum of the King of Togoville, where we’ll be received and welcomed by the king and his court.
Lomé Grand Marché; The large central market of Lomé is located near Lomé Cathedral near the city center. The market occupies an entire city block in Lomé and consists of three sections, known locally as Atipoji, Asigame, and Assisi too. You’ll find anything at this colorful and entrepreneurial labyrinthine from Togolese football tops to cheap cosmetics. The majority of the vendors are women and children.
Akodessewa Fetish Market; The practice of voodoo began in West Africa, before being taken to America by slaves, and in countries like Togo, Ghana, or Nigeria the religion is very much alive. Many people believe healers using animal parts and strange talismans can invoke spirits with their bizarre rituals, and solve their problems. And if there’s one place where voodoo priests can stock up on their creepy supplies, it’s the Akodessewa Fetish Market, in Togo’s capital.
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