Togo

Because of You…

Praise God Youth for Christ was successfully launched in Togo on Saturday, December 3rd.

The Lord was present with us – a number of young people and pastors representing at least eleven churches in the third largest city of Togo called Kpalime, joyfully celebrating the birth of Youth for Christ ministry in their country.

Prior to the launch, a number of visits had been made by the pioneering team from Ghana, with staff and volunteer training carried out. About 70 young people pledged to serve as volunteers and all of these young ones were prayed for. The pastors also happily embraced the ministry and pledged to support it and help take it to every corner of Togo.

About Togo

Introduction

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months later. Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. After years of political unrest and condemnation from international organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community.

Geography

Location

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana

Geographic Coordinates: 8 00 N, 1 10 E

Area

Total Area: 56,785 sq km Rank: 125

Land Area: 54,385 sq km

Water Area: 2,400 sq km

Comparison: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land Boundaries: 1,647 km

Bordering Countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

Coastline: 56 km

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

Elevations

Lowest Point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Highest Point: Mont Agou 986 m

Natural Resources

phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land

Land Use

Arable land: 44.2%

Permanent Crops: 2.11%

Other: 53.69% (2005)

Irrigated Land: 70 sq km (2003)

Renewable Water Resources: 14.7 cu km (2001)

Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 0.17 cu km/yr (53%/2%/45%)

Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)

Environment

Natural Hazards: hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts

Environmental Issues: deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas

Environmental Agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography Notes

the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna

People

Population: 6,031,808 Rank: 105

Note: 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 years: 41.4% (male 1,252,389/female 1,244,914)

15-64 years: 55.8% (male 1,645,885/female 1,719,810)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 66,192/female 102,618) (2010 est.)

Median Age: 18.9 years

Population Growth

Growth Rate: 2.754% (2010 est.) Rank: 20

Birth Rate: 36.49 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 31

Death Rate: 8.95 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 81

Net Migration Rate: NA

Urbanization

Urban Population: 42% of total population (2008)

Rate of Urbanization: 4.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Life and Death

Infant Mortality Rate: 56.84 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 42

Life Expectancy at Birth: 59.66 years Rank: 186

Fertility Rate: 4.74 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 33

Health and Disease

HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 3.3% (2007 est.) Rank: 21

People living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 41

HIV/AIDS Deaths: 9,100 (2007 est.) Rank: 35

Degree of Risk for Major Infectious Diseases: very high

Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

Vectorborne Diseases: malaria and yellow fever

Water Contact Diseases: schistosomiasis

Respiratory Disease: meningococcal meningitis

Animal Contact Diseases: rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Nationality and Culture

Noun: Togolese (singular and plural)

Adjective: Togolese

Ethnic Groups: African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%

Religion: Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%

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)

Education

Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 60.9% Male: 75.4% Female: 46.9% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 9 years Male: 11 years Female: 7 years (2000)

Education expenditures: 2.6% of GDP (2002) Rank: 156

Government

Country Name

Conventional Long Form: Togolese Republic

Conventional Short Form: Togo

Local Long Form: Republique togolaise

Local Short Form: none

Formerly: French Togoland

Government Type: republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Capital: Lome Geographic Coordinates: 6 08 N, 1 13 E

Administrative divisions

5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes

Independence: 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1960)

Constitution: adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992

Legal system: French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (adult)

Executive Branch

Chief of State: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005);

Head of Government: Prime Minister Gilbert HOUNGBO (since 7 September 2008)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister

Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 4 March 2010 (next to be held in 2015); prime minister appointed by the president

Election Results: Faure GNASSINGBE reelected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.9%, Jean-Pierre FABRE 33.9%, Yawovi AGBOYIBO 3%, other 2.2%

Legislative Branch

unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Elections: last held on 14 October 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

Election Results: percent of vote by party - RPT 39.4%, UFC 37.0%, CAR 8.2%, independents 2.5%, other 12.9%; seats by party - RPT 50, UFC 27, CAR 4

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Politics

Political Parties and Leaders: Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yawovi AGBOYIBO]; Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA; Democratic Party for Renewal or PDR; Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP; Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP; Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE]; Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]; Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO]

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: NA

International Organization Participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Flag Description: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; a white five-pointed star on a red square is in the upper hoist-side corner; the five horizontal stripes stand for the five different regions of the country; the red square is meant to express the loyalty and patriotism of the people; green symbolizes hope, fertility, and agriculture; yellow represents mineral wealth and faith that hard work and strength will bring prosperity; the star symbolizes life, purity, peace, dignity, and Togo's independence

Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Economy Overview: This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export earnings with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. 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. Progress depends on follow through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors. Togo is working with donors to write a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan. Economic growth remains marginal due to declining cotton production, underinvestment in phosphate mining, and strained relations with donors.

Gross Domestic Product

GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.643 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 156

GDP - real growth rate: 3.1% (2009 est.) Rank: 60

GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 (2009 est.) Rank: 219

GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 47.4% Industry: 25.4% Services: 27.2% (2009 est.)

Labor Force

Labor Force: 2.595 million (2007) Rank: 109

Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 65% Industry: 5% Services: 30% (1998 est.)

Unemployment Rate: NA

Poverty

Population below poverty line: 32% (1989 est.)

Debt - external:

$NA

Transnational Issues

International Disputes: in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary; in 2006, 14,000 Togolese refugees remain in Benin and Ghana out of the 40,000 who fled there in 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons - refugees (country of origin): 5,000 (Ghana)

International Displaced Persons: 1,500 (2007)

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