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Women at the vegetable market of Lome, Togo
Image: Ute Grabowsky/photothek/IMAGOImage: Ute Grabowsky/photothek/IMAGO

Togo

The West African nation of Togo is one of the smallest countries in Africa with a population of about 8.7 million. It borders Burkina Faso, Benin and Ghana. The Togolese economy is largely based on agriculture.

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All Content on this topic

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | #226

Togo's wax print traders – the descendants of Nana Benz

We meet Pamela Thompson a descendant of Togolese wax print traders, who is trying to keep the trade alive.
BusinessJuly 17, 202403:16 min
DW Sendung The 77 Percent | #226

The 77 Percent - Traditions

Navigating modernity vs tradition? We meet young Africans who tell us how history and culture define their lives.
SocietyJuly 10, 202426:03 min
A voter casts her ballot at a polling station at the Hedzranawoe public primary school in Lome on April 29, 2024, during Togo's legislative elections.

Togo: Ruling party wins overwhelming parliament majority

President Gnassingbe's UNIR party won 108 of the house's 113 seats.
PoliticsMay 5, 2024
Togo | Wahlen

AfricaLink on Air — 29 April 2024

Togo votes in key parliament ballot after divisive reform+++DR Congo to impose death penalty for mineral plundering
PoliticsApril 29, 202429:59 min
Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe

Togo's battle for democracy amid constitutional controversy

Dissenting voices and the high stakes of electoral turmoil are shaping Togo's journey toward political reform.
PoliticsApril 27, 2024
77 EcoJogging

Togo: Running to save the planet

Eco jogging aims to create a cleaner, greener future for Togo and inspire global action.
SportsMarch 20, 202403:30 min
DW-Video | International Day of Happiness 2023 - The importance of happiness worldwide and in Africa

How happy are people in Africa?

March 20 is International Day of Happiness. It is celebrated to recognize the importance of happiness.
SocietyMarch 19, 202401:59 min
German officers recruit Togolese men in traditional dress into the army

Togoland: Germany's first and smallest African colony

Togo was promoted as "a model colony." But it was a self-serving myth for German colonial administrators.
HistoryMarch 18, 2024
Ghana Widnaba Flüchtlinge aus Burkina Faso

Africalink on Air - 07 March 2024

Ghana sees influx of Togolese fleeing jihadis+++Cameroon chief helps CAR refugees+++Chad on the brink before elections
PoliticsMarch 7, 202429:58 min
external

Why Togo was not a German "model colony"

We explore how people in German Togoland suffered punitive expeditions and subjugation to benefit German imperialism.
HistoryMarch 7, 202401:29 min
Shadows of German Colonialism EP 08

The traumatic legacy of colonial era vaccination programs

Colonial doctors tested unproven serums on Africans, leaving a legacy of trauma that has never been properly cured.
HistoryMarch 4, 202411:49 min
Aerial photo of Victoria Falls

Why some African countries have strange shapes

Mosts of Africa's borders today were drawn up in Berlin in the late 19th century – and the consequences are drastic.
HistoryMarch 1, 2024
DW Shadows of German Colonialism | Episode 6

How German colonists changed power dynamics in Togo forever

German Togoland was promoted as "a model colony". But it was a self-serving myth for German colonial administrators.
HistoryFebruary 5, 202409:54 min
external

Shadows of German Colonialism Series Trailer

Shadows of German Colonialism sheds light on Germany's devastating colonial history across Africa.
HistoryJanuary 30, 202402:36 min
Cars drive past Nigeria's University of Lagos

Nigeria launches crackdown on fake degrees

The move comes after the Nigerian government banned degree certificates from 18 foreign universities.
EducationJanuary 10, 2024
Sign showing the town of Lüderitz

Shady deals: How German colonists bought an empire in Africa

Dodgy land contracts by German merchants helped legitimize German colonial claims in Africa.
HistoryDecember 6, 2023
DW Shadows of German Colonialism | Episode 1

How colonial Germany extended its empire in Africa

Dodgy land contracts by German merchants helped legitimize German colonial claims in Africa.
HistoryDecember 6, 202310:43 min

Ghana: On the lookout for extremists

Communities along Ghana's borders are forming "watchdog committees" to keep Islamist extremists out.
TerrorismJune 27, 202301:33 min
Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey speaks about the planned withdrawal of international troops from Mali.

Togo FM: 'We need to continue to help the people of Mali'

Foreign Minister Robert Dussey speaks with DW about the planned withdrawal of international troops from Mali.
ConflictsFebruary 18, 202303:22 min
DW Sendung | The 77 Percent

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

We ask 77 Percenters what they make of Russia's growing influence on the African continent.
SocietyFebruary 1, 202326:05 min
DW Sendung | The 77 Percent

What is Russia doing in the Sahel?

We asked 77 Percenters in Burkina Faso, Mali and Togo what they make of the growing influence of Russian mercenaries.
SocietyFebruary 1, 202303:40 min
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Vehicles and "Made in Togo"

Making vehicles from recycled materials in Togo
SocietyJanuary 4, 202302:10 min
Aerial view of a combine harvester near a crater suspected to be caused by an airstrike near Kramatorsk, Ukraine

Wheat shortage leads to new bread recipes in Togo

Faced with the scarcity of wheat due to the war in Ukraine, Togolese bakers are now using corn flour to produce bread.
Food SecurityNovember 18, 202202:14 min
Statue of Yennenga, a warrior princess of the medieval Dagomba kingdom, on the stage

Trapped in a Munich museum, a princess dreams of Africa

Viewed simultaneously by audiences in Togo and Germany, the play "Visions of a Return" focuses on questions of heritage.
TheaterOctober 29, 202202:02 min
Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba attends his swearing-in ceremony in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Feb. 16, 2022.

Ousted Burkina Faso leader Damiba in Togo after coup

Togo's government confirms that ousted coup leader Paul-Henri Damiba fled there following Burkina Faso's latest coup.
PoliticsOctober 3, 2022
Education park

Togo's environmental education park for kids

At an environmental education center, school kids learn that waste can often be used as a material for something new.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 15, 202202:14 min
Uhuru Kenyatta

Political dynasties fueling crises in Africa

Analysts say grooming relatives to take over power is detrimental to African countries.
PoliticsJanuary 10, 2022
Tag des inhaftierten Schriftstellers | Kakwenza Rukirabasaija

AfricaLink on Air - 04 January 2022

Ugandan novelist case+++Conde to leave Guinea+++Sierra Leone drug addiction+++Togo's fitness coach+++Euro 20 years on
PoliticsJanuary 4, 202230:00 min
DW Sendung | The 77 Percent

Fighting obesity in Togo

Togolese fitness coach Mercy Tchawalla gives sports classes and advises overweight women in Lome.
HealthDecember 22, 202101:34 min
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Togo: A rare female motorcycle taxi driver

A female motorcycle cab driver in Togo battles gender stereotypes and dangerous traffic. But nothing will stop her.
SocietyOctober 29, 202101:27 min
Afrika Togo Fitness Coach

Togolese fitness coach fights obesity

Mercy Tchawalla gives sports classes and advises overweight women in Lome. She helps women build self-esteem.
HealthSeptember 23, 202102:09 min
A women holding an iPhone to her ear

South Africa's Ramaphosa listed as Rwanda spyware target

Rwanda denies using Pegasus malware to spy on Ramaphosa but South Africa's weak intelligence agencies will investigate.
PoliticsJuly 23, 2021
Mali Oberst Assimi Goita, Anführer der malischen Militärjunta

AfricaLink on Air - 20 July 2021

Nigeria arrests separatist Yoruba leader+++Ghana's bird flu outbreak
PoliticsJuly 20, 202130:00 min
a picture of a container ship on the horizon

Pirates launch deadly attack on cargo ship off Nigeria

The Gulf of Guinea, where the attack took place, is considered the most dangerous sea in the world for piracy.
ConflictsJanuary 24, 2021
Togo Fashion Design I Mable

Togolese design collective gets creative

Designer Mable Agbodan pushes new boundaries for Togolese fashion.
EducationDecember 2, 202002:25 min
Nigeria Lagos | Protest EndSARS

AfricaLink on Air- 14 October 2020

Nigeria replaces SARS with SWAT after deadly nationwide protests: what has changed?
PoliticsOctober 14, 202030:00 min
The 77 Percent I Beauty Sodokin

Fighting breast cancer in Togo

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer found in Togolese women. A new awareness campain hopes to change that.
SocietySeptember 30, 202002:43 min
Togo Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou

Togo prime minister and ministers resign

The country's president, who won re-election in February, is set to appoint a new PM shortly.
PoliticsSeptember 26, 2020
Ghana Volta Region

AfricaLink on Air - 25 September 2020

Ghana's Western Togoland demands sovereignty+++Uganda is breeding GMO mosquitos to help combat the spread of malaria.
PoliticsSeptember 25, 202029:59 min
A sign marking the beginning of the Western Togoland region

Western Togoland declares sovereignty

A part of eastern Ghana, known as Western Togoland, is demanding recognition as a sovereign state.
PoliticsSeptember 25, 2020
external

Grafitti against COVID-19

Brightly coloured and understandable even without words. In Togo, graffiti artists educate about COVID-19.
August 22, 202002:02 min
DW The 77 Percent Moderatorin Wanjiku Mwaura (Artikelbild)

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

We explore transportation in Maputo, talk to young people about Nigeria’s growing population and visit Lomé.
SocietyAugust 19, 202026:05 min
Togolese artist Goha Atisso in 'My City Lomé'

My City Lomé

Togo's capital Lomé is a pumping city. Local scualptor Goha Atisso shows us the places that inspire his artwork.
SocietyAugust 19, 202003:53 min
external

Coronavirus fact-checking

TogoCheck is countering dangerous rumors and misinformation by posting factual explainers on the internet.
HealthJuly 10, 202002:36 min
Africa Cup of Nations DR Kongo - Togo

COVID-19 threatens football outside of Europe

Away from the big European leagues, coronavirus has thrown footballers around the world into a precarious situation.
SportsApril 10, 2020
Eco Africa - Transforming rubbish dumps into gardens in Togo

Transforming rubbish dumps into gardens in Togo

A Togolese startup is turning illegal dumps and flooded areas into gardens to encourage people to grow their own food.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 4, 202004:16 min
Nigeria Temperaturkontrolle am Flughafen Lagos

Sub-Saharan Africa on the alert for COVID-19

Confirmed in S.Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, Ivory Coast, DRCongo, Ghana, Gabon, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan
HealthMarch 13, 2020
external

Bringing abuse to light in Togo

Domestic violence and sexual abuse are so common in Togo that one in three women has a story.
CrimeMarch 6, 202002:51 min
external

Powerful art

In Togo, painter Christelle Flagbo hopes to empower other women with her way of life.
February 27, 202002:34 min

Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe wins re-election

Togo's president Faure Gnassingbe has won a fourth term in office. Officials said he received more than seventy percent of the votes. The main challenger to Gnassingbe has also claimed victory, and accused the incumbent of rigging the election.
February 24, 202000:15 min