Togo

This article is about the African country. For other uses, see Togo (disambiguation). République Togolaise Togolese Republic Flag Coat of Arms

Motto: "Travail, Liberté, Patrie" (French)
"Work, Liberty, Homeland"
Anthem: Salut à toi, pays de nos aïeux (French)
"Hail to thee, land of our forefathers"
Capital
(and largest city) Lomé
6°7′N, 1°13′E Official languages French Demonym Togolese Government Republic - President Faure Gnassingbé - Prime Minister Komlan Mally Independence - from France April 27, 1960 Area - Total 56,785 km² (125th)
21,925 sq mi - Water (%) 4.2 Population - July 2005 estimate 5.7million (102nd1) - Density 108/km² (93rd²)
280/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate - Total $8.945 billion (144th1) - Per capita $1,700 (193rd1) HDI (2007) ▲ 0.512 (medium) (152nd) Currency CFA franc (XOF) Time zone GMT (UTC+0) Internet TLD .tg Calling code +228 1 Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected. Rankings based on 2005 figures CIA World Factbook - Togo
² Rankings based on 2005 figures (source unknown)

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a narrow country in West Africa bordering Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. The country extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. The official language is French; however, there are many other languages spoken there as well.

1 History
2 Economy
3 Development and Environment
- 3.1 Developing access to water resources
4 Geography
- 4.1 Climate
5 Administrative divisions
6 Demographics
- 6.1 Ethnic groups
- 6.2 Religion
7 Politics
- 7.1 Current political situation
8 Culture
9 Sport
10 See also
11 References
12 Bibliography
13 External links

History

Main article: History of Togo

Western history does not record what happened in Togo before the Portuguese arrived in the late fifteenth century. During the period from the eleventh century to the sixteenth century, various tribes entered the region from all directions: the Ewé from Nigeria and Benin; and the Mina and Guin from Ghana. Most settled in coastal areas. When the slave trade began in earnest in the sixteenth century, the Mina benefited the most. For the next two hundred years, the coastal region was a major raiding center for Europeans in search of slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast."

In an 1884 treaty signed at Togoville, Germany declared a protectorate over a stretch of territory along the coast and gradually extended its control inland. This became the German colony Togoland in 1905. After the German defeat during World War I in August 1914 at the hands of British troops (coming from the Gold Coast) and the French troops (coming from Dahomey), Togoland became two League of Nations mandates, administered by the United Kingdom and France. After World War II, these mandates became UN Trust Territories. The residents of British Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast as part of the new independent nation of Ghana, and French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French Union. Independence came in 1960 under Sylvanus Olympio. Sylvanus Olympio was assassinated in a military coup on January 13, 1963 by a group of soldiers under the direction of Sergeant Etienne Eyadema Gnassingbe. However there is no real evidence that he was the leader of the coup or the perpetrator of the assassination. Some sources point that he was the only one who accepted to shoulder the paternity of the assassination. Opposition leader Nicolas Grunitzky was appointed president by the "Insurrection Committee" headed by Emmanuel Bodjollé. However, on January 13, 1967, Eyadema Gnassingbe overthrew Grunitzky in a bloodless coup and assumed the presidency, which he held from that date until his sudden death on February 5, 2005.

Eyadema Gnassingbe (many wrongly think Eyadema was his last name) died in early 2005 after thirty-eight years in power, as Africa's longest sitting dictator. The military's immediate but short-lived installation of his son, Faure Gnassingbe, as president provoked widespread international condemnation, except from France. However, surprisingly, some democratically elected African leaders, such as Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, supported that move and created a rift within the African Union. Faure Gnassingbe stood down and called elections which he won two months later. The opposition claimed that the election was fraudulent. The developments of 2005 led to renewed questions about a commitment to democracy made by Togo in 2004 in a bid to normalize ties with the European Union, which cut off aid in 1993 over the country's human rights record. Moreover, up to 400 people were killed in the political violence surrounding the presidential poll, according to the United Nations. Around 40,000 Togolese fled to neighbouring countries.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Togo

Togo's small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. cotton, coffee, and cocoa together generate about 30% of export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodgoods when harvests are normal, with occasional regional supply difficulties. In the industrial sector, phosphate mining is no longer the most important activity, as cement and clinker export to neighbouring countries have taken over. It has suffered from the collapse of world phosphate prices, increased foreign competition and financial problems . Togo's GNI per capita is US$380 (World Bank, 2005).

Phosphate mining by SNPT company

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, jeopardized the reform program, shrank 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. Progress depends on increased openness in government financial operations (to accommodate increased social service outlays) and possible downsizing of the military, on which the regime has depended to stay in place. Lack of aid, along with depressed cocoa prices, generated a 1% fall in GDP in 1998, with growth resuming in 1999. Assuming no deterioration of the political atmosphere, growth should rise to 5% a year in 2000-2001.

Development and Environment

Developing access to water resources

In 1988 US foreign aid relief issued a contract to install wells in impoverished communities in Togo, Africa (Waters of Ayole). The women and children of these communities had to travel about six kilometers to get to any kind of water source (African Well Fund). Many times the river or water source that these communities had access to were horrible. The water has several kinds of diseases that were making the people of the community sick with primary concerns over the contraction of the guinea worm. Although many of the people knew the health risks of the water, they had no other choice than to continue walking all this way for water. They had no other means of obtaining clean water. The foreign aid showed initial signs of promise by making water more accessible and clean. Further efforts, however, to sustain these wells were not very successful for a few reasons. Though wells may be the most successful way of providing impoverished Sub-Saharan African communities with clean and accessible water, programs such as the one in Togo failed to implement strategies that support the sustainability of this technology because of the lack of education, training, money, and community intervention.

Sub-Saharan Africa, as of 2002, has the highest number of poor people in the world, with impoverished levels nearing 45%. In addition it has also been shown to have the highest rates of population growth (about 2.2% year) “with subsequent increased pressure on water resources” and although Africa has many sources of water, the majority of them are not safe to drink or are inaccessible by most (Bordalo, 2). Efforts to reduce the amount of water born diseases, as well as increased availability of these water reservoirs have had mixed results.

Programs such as the PFI (Promoting Farmer Innovation) have shown great signs of success. This 10-step program, created by the UNDP, was first instituted in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda with the goal being to bring forth community inventions that supported agricultural growth as well as water conservation tactics (Duveskog, 2). The program provided farmers with a source of information which was generally feasible and results have shown that these innovations have also helped to support the surrounding communities as well. Alex Ole-Pere of the Maasai lived in Kenya during the time the PFI was instituted. His invention, a dam of about 25 meters, was digging an alternate route for rainwater runoff that he directed toward his homestead and then using that dirt to construct the dam. His invention had greater uses then just to provide water for his personal agricultural and health benefits but the success of this dam was so great that he was able to help in supporting the struggling neighbors in his community. Ole-Pere stated “My neighbors normally come to fetch water from my dam in bad times. They can take both for their families and for their livestock, I have enough” (Duveskog, 2). The only downside of these kinds of water conservation efforts is that there can be no guarantee that this source of water is safe and that in times of drought there may be no rainwater runoff to collect.

A plan that has the potential to be more successful, and which has been implemented by a number of organizations as well as governments in the past, is the production of wells. Wells, provided that they are dug deep enough to penetrate the deeper layers of bedrock, prove to be the most successful means in which to provide accessible, disease free water to SSA (Sub-Saharan Africa). However, for these well institution programs to be successful further measures need to be taken to promote their sustainability. Some of the wells that were installed in Togo lasted only a mere two months before the community was forced to resort to their previous practice of walking for miles to get there water which again was not safe to drink (Waters of Ayole). These wells were expensive, nearing $10,000 dollars per well (Waters of Ayole). A mere two month return on a $10,000 dollar investment was staggering. Individuals in these communities were helpless, unable to understand the technology they were given and unable to contact technicians that could help them. This village didn’t take responsibility for the wells; they expected the government to maintain them. These wells became mere monuments representing their strife. In order to combat these failures further intervention must be taken in conjunction with the introduction of these wells to insure that they will remain sustainable for a lifetime rather than a season.

An example of a village that was unsuccessful is Amoussoukope which is near a main road and there is a train stop. They also have a high school, health center, and some small businesses. Amoussoukope was one of the first villages to get a well and pump system, but technology alone could not solve the problem. A lot more work had to be done to see a difference. Although the village got two wells and pumps, six years after the installation neither one of the pumps worked. There are a few reasons why the well and pump system were unsuccessful.

The villagers didn’t take responsibility for the pumps. They didn’t do any maintenance on the pumps. The villagers felt that since the government and aid groups installed the wells and pumps that it was their responsibility to fix the pump. One of the installers stated “When we asked them to make an effort to repair the pumps, they didn’t see why” (Waters of Ayole). Another reason for the failure of the pumps was education. None of the villagers had proper education on how the pumps worked. They had no way of fixing the pumps and were forced to resort back to their previous methods of collecting water; a long and tedious six kilometer walk.

The community, not coming together through work on the pump, was another down fall. The villagers were not organized in the way they collected their money, the way they fixed the pump, or in making decisions about the pump. It was everyone contributing a little, but there was no one there to make sure everyone was contributing.

Money was also a major issue that added to the failure of the pumps. Without having a committee, their fund raising efforts were just a waste of time. The village tried to raise 100,000 francs ($300) by going from house to house collecting 65 cents each household, but they "don’t know if each person gave" (Waters of Ayole). Without the committee or someone to oversee the money raising, none of the villagers know exactly how much was raised or what happened to the money that was collected.

The first measure that must be taken is education. A member of the particular community in which the well was installed must be training in the ways of fixing the well and these techniques must be meshed into the community themselves. If a member of the community is trained with this knowledge than that person is able to pass that knowledge on to either an apprentice or his own kin, allowing the community to be self sustaining in terms of technical necessities. If, however, communities are provided technical training there still remains the problem of paying for the parts for repair. Further education in the ways that this well can provide for much greater expansion of agricultural production must be emphasized.

With the well being greatly more accessible, women are not forced to consume the majority of their day merely transporting water form the source to the home. They now have more time to devote to the fields in which they are growing food and have the opportunity to expand those fields to produce a surplus that can then be sold to larger communities in the area that have a greater infrastructure than their own. The extra money that they make from the sale of produce can be placed into a fund that will help them purchase the parts needed for the upkeep and repair of the well. But even this is not enough. One particular community in Togo said that the system of collecting money for the repairs was unorganized and counter productive. A woman states that someone would come around to their homes, knock on the door, and ask for the money that they needed for the parts to repair the well. After that, nothing was done; parts were not purchased and repairs were not made. It seems that this may be because of a lack of communication within these communities.

A particular community that was successful in maintaining their well has the characteristics prescribed above but took community intervention to the next level. A committee was formed which included men and women of the community which is highly uncommon in Africa’s patriarchal society but is a necessary transition if programs such as these are going to be successful. Since women are in charge of getting water for the community they should be involved in the decision making process. The committee would meet regularity to discuss technical issues that they are having with the well. If these technical issues are nonexistent at the time the discussion may take a monetary twist and economic development may be the topic of conversation. Either way the involvement of the community is essential to these programs. No longer are these community members looking out for only themselves but they are now looking out for the community as a whole, which is also necessary for future transition from third world to first world progressions.

An example of a village which was very successful with the implementation of a well is Ayole. Ayole is a village that is much more underdeveloped compared to Amoussoukope. They don’t have a health center or a main road nearby. Without these resources the villagers were still able to keep the well and pump working continuously for five years because the pump was made part of village life from the beginning. Extension agents also worked closely with the village to implement the well and water system.

One of the villagers had previous experience with mechanics and was designated as the person in charge of pump repairs. He stated “They wrote down what I had to learn and gave me a booklet” (Waters of Ayole). After watching the installers install the pump he went to the Social Affairs Office in Glei to get extensive training on repairing the pump (Waters of Ayole). With the training that he received the repairman was able to repair the pump any time something broke. For example when the bladder, the main piece of the pump, broke he was able to fix it. The village came together to help him remove the bladder for repairs and putting it back. The pump was up and running the next day.

The village also came together to create a committee to make decisions about the pump. Women were also involved in the decision making process because getting water for the village is considered to be the job of women. One of the villagers stated “In the past everyone lived for themselves but now they have come together and are happier and hold meetings about the pump and personal problems” (Waters of Ayole). Not only did the pump bring the villagers together to keep the pump working they also came together to help each other out on other issues.

Money being a big part of keeping the pump working is one that is hard to find in these villages. Ayole and the Extension agents worked together to figure out way for the village to raise money for parts for the pump. They created a communal field to help raise money with the profits going into a bank account. They saved the money for parts to fix the pump. In the communal field they raised casaba, maze, cotton, and beans (Waters of Ayole). They money was managed by the committee. They had one of the committee members in charge of authorizing the repairman to buy parts for the pump.

Though wells may be the most successful way of providing impoverished Sub-Saharan African communities with clean and accessible water, programs such as the one in the village Amoussoukope failed to implement strategies that support the sustainability of this technology because of the lack of education, training, money, and community intervention. Although there are other efforts to provide clean and sustainable water to communities in Africa, many of these efforts are not very successful because the water is still not clean and can not reach a large majority of people because of different factors including drought. A project of implementing wells in different communities was proven successful with some communities unsuccessful. There are many different things that need to be implemented besides just building a well and telling the community to figure it out from there. There needs to be education, technical training, a form of additional income for the wells, and community intervention. Organizations that implement these wells also need to work with the community to educate them on the wells and how to repair them. The community needs to work together to be able to sustain the wells and continue to enjoy clean water close to their home.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Togo

Satellite image of Togo, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library

Togo is a small, thin sub-Saharan nation. It borders the Bight of Benin in the south; Ghana lies to the west; Benin to the east; and to the north Togo is bound by Burkina Faso.

In the north the land is characterized by a gently rolling savannah in contrast to the center of the country, which is characterized by hills. The south of Togo is characterized by a plateau which reaches to a coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes. The land size is 21,925 square miles (56,785 km²), with an average population density of 253 people per square mile (98/km²). In 1914 it changed from Togoland to Togo.

Climate

The climate is generally tropical with average temperatures ranging from 27°C on the coast to about 30°C in the northernmost regions, with a dry climate and characteristics of a tropical savanna. To the south there are two seasons of rain (the first between April and July and the second between October and November), even though the average rainfall is not very high (about 1,000 mm in mountainous areas, the most rainy).

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Regions of Togo and Prefectures of Togo

Togo is divided into 5 regions, which are subdivided in turn into 30 prefectures and 1 commune. From north to south the regions are Savanes, Kara, Centrale, Plateaux and Maritime.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Togo

Demographic evolution of Togo

With a population of 5,548,702 (as of 2006), Togo is the 107th largest country by population. Most of the population (65%) live in rural villages dedicated to agriculture or pastures. The population of Togo shows a strong growth: from 1961 (the year after independence) to 2003 it quintupled.

Ethnic groups

In Togo there are about 45 different ethnic groups, the most important and numerous are the Ewe in the south (46%), Kabyé in the north (22%), Uaci or Ouatchis (14%. There are no historical and ethnical facts that justify the separation between Ewes and Ouatchis. On the contrary, the term Ouatchi relates to a subgroup of Ewes which migrated south during the 16th century from Notse the Ewe Kingdom capital. This classification is inaccurate and has been contested for being politically motivated; Mina, Mossi, and Aja (about 8%) are the remainder; and under 1% are European expatriates live in Togo as diplomats and for economic reasons.

Religion

About half the population adheres to indigenous, animist beliefs [1]. Christianity is the second largest religious group, to which 29% of the country's population belong. The remaining 21% of Togolese follow Islam.

Politics

This section is missing citationsor needs footnotes.
Using inline citationshelps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (February 2007)

This article or section needs to be updated.
Please update the article to reflect recent events / newly available information, and remove this template when finished.

Main article: Politics of Togo

Togo's transition to democracy is stalled. Its democratic institutions remain nascent and fragile. President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who ruled Togo under a one-party system for nearly twenty-five of his thirty-seven years in power, died of a heart attack on February 5, 2005. Under the constitution, the speaker of parliament, Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba, should have become president, pending a new election. Natchaba was out of the country, returning on an Air France plane from Paris. The Togolese army closed the nation's borders, forcing the plane to land in nearby Benin. With an engineered power vacuum, the army announced that Eyadéma's son Faure Gnassingbé, also known as Faure Eyadéma, who had been the communications minister, would succeed him. The constitution of Togo declared that in the case of the president's death, the speaker of Parliament takes his place, and has sixty days to call new elections. However, on February 6th, Parliament retroactively changed the Constitution, declaring that Faure would hold office for the rest of his father's term, with elections deferred until 2008. The stated justification was that Natchaba was out of the country.[2] . The government also moved to remove Natchaba as speaker [3] and replaced him with Faure Gnassingbé, who was sworn in on February 7, 2005, despite the international criticism of the succession. [3]

The African Union described the takeover as a military coup d'état. [4] International pressure came also from the United Nations. Within Togo, opposition to the takeover culminated in riots in which several hundred died. In the village of Aného reports of a general civilian uprising followed by a large scale massacre by government troops went largely unreported. In response, Gnassingbé agreed to hold elections and on February 25, Gnassingbé resigned as president, but soon afterwards accepted the nomination to run for the office in April. On April 24, 2005, Gnassingbé was elected president of Togo, receiving over 60% of the vote according to official results. However fraud was suspected as cause of his election, due to a lack of presence of the European Union or other such oversight. See the History section of this article for details. Parliament designated Deputy Speaker Bonfoh Abbass as interim president until the inauguration of the election a clear violation of the constitution but a political compromise. winner.[5]

Current political situation

On May 3, 2006, Faure Gnassingbe was sworn in as the new president, garnering 60% of the vote according to official results. Discontent has continued however, with the opposition declaring the voting rigged, claiming the military stole ballot boxes from various polling stations in the South, as well as other election irregularities, such as telecommunication shutdown. [6] The European Union has suspended aid in support of the opposition claims, while the African Union and the United States have declared the vote "reasonably fair" and accepted the outcome. The Nigerian president and Chair of the AU, Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, has sought to negotiate between the incumbent government and the opposition to establish a coalition government, but rejected an AU Commission appointment of former Zambian president, Kenneth Kaunda, as special AU envoy to Togo ([7] and [8]). Later in June, President Gnassingbe named opposition leader Edem Kodjo as the prime Minister.

In April 2006 reconciliation talks between government and opposition progressed; said talks were suspended after Gnassingbé Eyadema's death in 2005. In August both parties signed the Ouagadougou agreement calling for a transitional unity government to organize parliamentary elections. On September 16th, the president nominated Yaovi Agboyibor of the Action Comittee for Renewal (CAR) prime minister snubing the major opposition party Union of the Forces of Change (UFC) which in reaction refused to join the government. Professor Léopold Gnininvi of the Democratic Convention of African Peoples (CDPA) was appointed the 20th. From the beginning, opposition's weakness was manifest. The president had the final say on who would be cabinet minister from a list of names proposed by the prime minister. Second, disunity was rife within opposition ranks after the failure to get UFC representation in the transitional government.

In October 2007, after several postponements, elections were held under proportional representation. This allowed the less populated north to seat as many MPs the more populated south. The president backed party Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) won outright majority with the UFC coming second with the other parties claiming inconsequential representation. Again vote rigging accusations were leveled at the RPT supported by the civil and military security apparatus. Despite the presence of an EU observer mission, cancelled ballots and illegal voting took place the majority of which in RPT strongholds. The elections was declared fair by the international community and praised as a model with few intimidation and violent acts for the first time since multipartism was reinstated. On December 3rd Komlan Mally of the RPT was appointed to prime minister succeeding Agboyibor.

However presidential elections of 2010 presents a different challenge with no proportional representation effect to balance for geographic location. The executive power is mainly presidential and this showdown fallout will really determine how far the country has come in terms of democratic rule.

Culture

Traditional Taberma houses

Sport

As in much of Africa, football is the most popular sporting pursuit. Until 2006, Togo was very much a minor force in world football, but like fellow West African nations such as Senegal, Nigeria and Cameroon before them, the Togolese national team finally qualified for the World Cup. Until his dismissal from the team over a long-standing bonus dispute[9], Emmanuel Adebayor was largely considered the side's star player. He currently plays for English Premiership club, Arsenal. Togo was knocked out of the tournament in the group stage after losing to South Korea, Switzerland and France. Photo of the team

Togo's 2006 World Cup appearance was marred by a dispute over financial bonuses, a situation that almost led to the team boycotting their match against Switzerland. Eventually, Togo did fulfil all three fixtures, failing to qualify for the second round of the competition. Over the following months, the stalemate has continued to mar Togolese football, and eventually resulted in the dismissal of strike pair Emmanuel Adebayor and Kader Cougbadja, and defender Nibombe Dare in March 2007, ostensibly for "indecent remarks concerning the FTF management"[4].

After their outings as World Cup underdogs, Togo gained support throughout the world. For example, Togo has a 'Supporters Club' in Levenmouth in Scotland, whilst the Newry Togo Supporters Club has its own bar as a venue in Newry, Northern Ireland.

References

^ CIA World Fact Book
^ Japan Post, [1]
^ [2]
^ BBC SPORT | Football | African | Togo axe Adebayor and two others

5. African Well Fund. Water Stats and Facts. 2006.
6. Waters of Ayole. Dir. Nichols, Sandra. Prod. Nichols. Sandra. Sandra Nichols Productions. 1998.
7. Duveskog, Deborah. Forsman, Asa. Mburu, Charles. Farmer Innovations in Water Harvesting. Leisa Magazine. Jun 2003.

Togo languages

Bibliography

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

Schnee, Dr. Heinrich, (former Governor of German East Africa), German Colonization, Past and Future - The Truth about the German Colonies, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1926.
Bullock, A.L.C., Germany's Colonial Demands, Oxford University Press, 1939.
BBC News Country Profile - Togo
Godfrey Mwakikagile, Military Coups in West Africa Since The Sixties, Huntington, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2001.
Bordalo, Adriano A. Savva-Bordalo, Joana. The Quest for Safe Drinking Water: An Example From Guine-Bissau (West Africa). Water Research. Vol. 41. Iss. 13. Jul 2007. p. 2978-86.
Hirsch, Dean. Bringing “Water of Life” to Africa. Fund Raising Management. Feb 1989. p. 24 (3 pp.).
Mihindu-Ngoma, Prosper. Clean Water at Low Cost. World Health. Geneva: Jul 1992. p. 27 (1 pp.).
Smith, Craig C. Rural boreholes and wells in Africa-economics of construction in hard rock terrain. American Water Works Association. Journal. Denver: Aug 2003. Vol. 95, Iss. 8, p. 100.

External links

Find more about Togo on Wikipedia's sister projects: Dictionary definitions Textbooks Quotations Source texts Images and media News stories Learning resources

Government

(French) Republic of Togo official site
(French) Web Radio Togo official Web Radio
(French) National Assembly of Togo official site

Aid Work

Apis-Togo.org - Association pour l'Alphabétisation et la Promotion des Infrastructures et de la Santé au Togo et en Afrique
[10] - Synergie des Jeunes pour Demain, la plus grande association de volontariat jeune pour le development.