Togo is a West African country, spanning from the Gulf of Guinea (south) towards the Sahel (north), with a population of just over 9 million (2023).
Togo has put in place solid policies to further the green and digital transitions. It is the first African exporter of organic products to the EU, and hosts the only natural deep-water port in West Africa.
Our Team Europe priorities
Building on its strategic location and its commitment to the twin green and digital transitions, the EU has been working to support Togo towards sustainable and inclusive development, in line with the Global Gateway Strategy.
The EU operates together with its Member States, their agencies and the European Investment Bank (‘Team Europe’). Team Europe focuses on three broad initiatives in Togo, selected for their power to transform. They are
- sustainable energy and connectivity – to support Togo’s ambition to provide electrification to all Togolese by 2030, 50% of it from renewables
- sustainable agri-business – to transform selected value chains such as pineapple or cashew nuts into a means for creating jobs, increasing food security (including in schools), spurring local consumption and expanding export opportunities
- decentralisation and local governance – to ensure that good quality public services, like clean water and waste management, are available to all, including in rural areas
In the period 2021-24, Team Europe support to the three initiatives is indicatively worth €1 billion (including grants and loans at about the same percentage).
Our EU programmes
Within Team Europe, the EU, France and Germany (the two EU Member States present in the country) adopted a Joint Programming Document for the period 2021-2027. The document supports ‘Togo 2025’, the Government’s development roadmap.
In terms of EU bilateral allocation, the Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP) for Togo under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe) provides for €145 million (period 2021-2024).
This amount is being allocated through programmes focused on the green transition (developing agro-industries while preserving biodiversity), human development and social inclusion (sanitation and waste management, digital services), and governance.
The EU has dedicated programmes for the Togolese northern region (Savanes), to tackle instability by promoting social cohesion, access to basic services in remote areas, and control of the territory. For example, the EU works with France and Germany to establish the electrical connection of eight towns and install streetlights and mini-grids. In the area of water and sanitation, we are working on the rehabilitation of the Dalwak dam, the construction and rehabilitation of collective latrines and the establishment of liquid and solid waste collection systems.
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and Togo Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah Dogbé met in Brussels on 24 April 2023 and signed two financing agreements worth €70 million, which will ensure timely implementation of new programmes in support to
- agro-industries and management of natural resources
- a budget support programme supporting access to basic social services, agriculture, as well as the decentralisation process
Togo also benefits from EU regional Global Gateway programmes. For example, as part of the EU-Africa strategic corridors to enhance transport infrastructure, rehabilitation of the Lomé-Cotonou section of the Abidjan-Lagos corridor is taking place.
The continental flagship programme Investing in Young Businesses in Africa (IYBA) supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem and small businesses. Togo, together with four other pilot countries, will benefit from the project SEED, providing access to finance and technical assistance to young businesses and entrepreneurs.
The EU brings to the partnership with Togo its wide and unique mix of instruments: political dialogue, grants, loans, guarantees, technical assistance, private sector, twinning, etc. Budget support is worth €40 million, via a state-building resilience contract.