Togo
Togolese RepublicRepublique Togolaise
republic under transition to multiparty democratic
Togo as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 96 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin | and Ghana
17 fieldsLand useshare of 56,790 sq km
Terrain
- gently rolling savanna in north;
- central hills;
- southern plateau;
- low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Natural hazards
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
Environment-current issues
deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; recent droughts affecting agriculture
Environment-international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1998 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 48% (male 1,190,812; female 1,180,739)
- 15-64 years:
- 49% (male 1,175,570; female 1,252,274)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 48,483; female 57,949) (July 1998 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.93 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.83 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups
native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
Languages
French (official and 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)
Government
Republic under transition to multiparty democratic; President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967); Prime Minister Kwassi KLUTSE (since August 1996)
21 fieldsNational Assembly, 81 seats, elected 6 and 20 February 1994one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Togolese Republic
- conventional short form:
- Togo
- local long form:
- Republique Togolaise
- local short form:
- none
- former:
- French Togo
Administrative divisions
- 21 circumscriptions (circonscriptions, singular-circonscription);
- Amlame, Aneho, Atakpame, Badou, Bafilo, Bassar, Dapaong, Kande, Kara, Kpalime, Lome, Niamtougou, Notse, Pagouda, Sansanne-Mango, Sokode, Sotouboua, Tabligbo, Tchamba, Tsevie, Vogan
note: the 21 units may have become second-order administrative divisions with the imposition of a new first-order level of five prefectures (singular - prefecture) named De La Kara,
Des Plateaux, Des Savanes, Du Centre, and Maritime
Constitution
multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992; adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Kwassi KLUTSE (since August 1996)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
- election last held 21 June 1998 (next to be held NA 2003);
- prime minister appointed by the president
- election results:
- Gnassingbe EYADEMA elected president; percent of vote-Gnassingbe EYADEMA 52.13%
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 6 and 20 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1999)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-CAR 36, RPT 35, UTD 7, UJD 2, CFN 1
note: as a result of a byelection in August 1996, ordered by the Supreme Court for three seats of the Action Committee for Renewal and the Togolese Union for Democracy, representation in the National Assembly changed to RPT 38, CAR 34, UTD 6, UJD 2, and CFN 1; as a result of subsequent defections from the CAR to the RPT and the merging of the UJD with the RPT, representation in the National Assembly in August 1997 was RPT 42, CAR 32, UTD 5, CFN 1, independent 1
Political parties and leaders
Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA]; Coordination des Forces Nouvelles or CFN [Joseph KOFFIGOH]; Togolese Union for Democracy or UTD [Edem KODJO]; Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yao AGBOYIBOR]; Union for Democracy and Solidarity or UDS [Antoine FOLLY]; Pan-African
Sociodemocrats Group or GSP, an alliance of three radical parties
- CDPA, PDR, and PSP;
- Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [Leopold GNININVI];
- Party for Democracy and Renewal or PDR [Zarifou AYEVA];
- Pan-African Social Party or PSP [Francis AGBAGLI];
- Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO (in exile); Jeane-Pierre FABRE, general secretary in Togo];
- Union of Justice and Democracy or UJD [Lal TAXPANDJAN]
note: Rally of the Togolese People or RPT, led by President EYADEMA, was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12 April 1991
International organization participation
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU, OIC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Pascal BODJONA
- chancery:
- 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 234-4212
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Brenda Brown SCHOONOVER
- embassy:
- Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome
- mailing address:
- B. P. 852, Lome
- telephone:
- [228] 21 77 17, 21 29 91 through 21 29 94
Flag description
- five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow;
- there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner;
- uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy
This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent | on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides | employment for more than 60% of the labor force.
28 fieldsGDP-composition by sector(1995)
Economy-overview
This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for more than 60% of the labor force. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton together generate about 30% of export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal, with occasional regional supply difficulties.
In the industrial sector, phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, although it has suffered from the collapse of world phosphate prices and increased foreign competition. Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. 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 stalled.
Political unrest, including private and public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993, has jeopardized the reform program, shrunk the tax base, and disrupted vital economic activity. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of the currency by 50% provided an important impetus to renewed structural adjustment;
these efforts were facilitated by the end of strife in 1994 and a return to overt political calm. The 1998 presidential elections provide an important opportunity for Togo's evolving political system to demonstrate that the country can participate in a peaceful and effective manner with World Bank and IMF programs.
Progress depends on continuing privatization, increased transparency in government accounting to accommodate increased social service outlays, and possible downsizing of the military, on which the regime has depended to stay in place.
Labor force
- total:
- 1.538 million (1993 est.)
- by occupation:
- agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (1997 est.)
Agriculture-products
- coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum;
- meat;
- annual fish catch of 10,000-14,000 tons
Exports
- total value:
- $196 million (f.o.b., 1996)
- commodities:
- cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa
- partners:
- Canada 9.2%, US 8.1%, Taiwan 7.5%, Nigeria 6.7% (1995 est.)
Imports
- total value:
- $404 million (c.i.f., 1996)
- commodities:
- machinery and equipment, consumer goods, petroleum products
- partners:
- Ghana 17.1%, China 13.3%, France 12.5%, Cameroon 6.0% (1995 est.)
Exchange rates
CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Telephone system
fair system based on network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and cellular system
- domestic:
- microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
- international:
- satellite earth stations-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie
Transportation
8 fieldsNetworkskm
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers TOKELAU (territory of New Zealand)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Togo.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/togo/1998.