Togo
Togo, 1960 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country located in West Africa. In 1884, during the scramble for Africa, Germany established a protectorate in the region called Togoland. Togo gained independence from France in 1960. In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma led a successful military coup d'état and became president of an anti-communist, single-party state.
Seat of power: Lomé
Rulers
Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio
President of the Council of Ministers of Togo, 1960–1961
He was prime minister, and then president, of Togo from 1958 until his assassination in 1963. His party won the 1958 election, making him the prime minister of the country. He won the 1961 election, making him the first president of Togo.
Portrait of Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio: Ludwig Wegmann, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, file
Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadéma
President of Togo, 1967–2005
He served as the third president of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005, after which he was immediately succeeded by his son, Faure Gnassingbé. He created a political party, the Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), and headed an anti-communist one-party state until the early 1990s, when reforms leading to multiparty elections began. He won multiparty presidential elections in 1993, 1998 and 2003; the opposition boycotted the 1993 election and denounced the 1998 and 2003 election results as fraudulent.
Portrait of Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadéma: SrA Felicia Wilson, Public domain, file
Kléber Dadjo
President of Togo, 1967–1967
He served as Interim President of Togo in his role as Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee from 14 January 1967 to 14 April 1967. He held the rank of Captain and commanded Togo's tiny defence force, the Garde Togolaise.
Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé
President of Togo, 2005–2025
He has led Togo since 2005, first as the fourth president until 2025 and then as president of the Council of Ministers. Gnassingbé ran for three more terms in 2010, 2015 and 2020, after a 2019 constitutional amendment which allowed him to run for two more terms. In 2024, Gnassingbé amended Togo's constitution, transferring most of the presidency's powers to the position of prime minister, which was officially reconstituted as president of the Council of Ministers.
Portrait of Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé: 内閣官房内閣広報室, CC BY 4.0, file
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Bonfoh Abass
President of Togo, 2005–2005
He was the interim President of Togo from 25 February 2005 to 4 May 2005. He was the President of the National Assembly of Togo from February 2005 to July 2013. Gnassingbé officially won the election on 24 April and was sworn in on 4 May, replacing Bonfoh.
Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové
President of Togo, 2025 to today
He has served as the fifth president of Togo since 3 May 2025. In May 2025, following the entry into force of the 2024 constitutional reform that converted Togo from a presidential to a parliamentary system, Savi de Tové was unanimously elected president by Parliament (the National Assembly and Senate meeting in Congress). The reform reduced the presidency to a largely ceremonial office elected indirectly by Parliament and transferred most executive powers to the new post of president of the Council of Ministers.
Portrait of Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové: Magnussen, Friedrich (1914-1987), CC BY-SA 3.0 de, file
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Culture
- The official language is French, while the two national languages are Kabiye and Ewe.
- Christians represent roughly half of the population (49.2%), followed by Muslims and adherents of traditional religions.
- The area features traditional mud tower-houses which remain the preferred style of living. The traditional mud houses are known as a national symbol of Togo.
- Togo joined the Commonwealth in June 2022.
Picture
Koutammakou is a cultural landscape designated in 2004 and expanded in 2023 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the border between northern Togo and Benin.
Image: Erik Kristensen, CC BY 2.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.