During our trip to Togo in March, we experienced a country in which a spirit of optimism prevails. The government around Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah Dogbé is pushing ahead with important reforms, founders and entrepreneurs are creating jobs. Great hopes now rest on the EU as a financing partner for important infrastructure projects.

Economy. The gross domestic product per capita rose from the equivalent of 298 to 973 dollars over the last 20 years. Experts forecast 1,070 US dollars for the current year. Economic growth was recently above five percent and is expected to rise to 6.2 percent in 2023.

Population. Togo has around nine million inhabitants and should break the ten million barrier in four years. Annual population growth has declined over the last 20 years from 2.8 to 2.4 percent. In the same time period, the poverty rate fell from 61 to less than 30 percent.  Life expectancy has increased from 55 to 61 years, the share of people with access to electricity from 17 to 54 percent.

Governance. On Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, Togo ranks 130th out of 180. With 30 points the country has, according to TI, made no significant progress in the last years. The score puts Togo on the same level as Egypt and ahead of countries like Paraguay.

Sources and further information:

World Bank: https://data.worldbank.org/country/togo

Germany Trade & Invest: https://www.gtai.de/de/trade/togo/wirtschaftsumfeld/wirtschaftsdaten-kompakt-togo-179888

Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022/index/nga