:Togo Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Togo
Type:
republic; under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Capital:
Lome
Administrative divisions:
21 circumscriptions (circonscriptions, singular - circonscription); Amlame
(Amou), Aneho (Lacs), Atakpame (Ogou), Badou (Wawa), Bafilo (Assoli), Bassar
(Bassari), Dapango (Tone), Kande (Keran), Klouto (Kloto), Pagouda (Binah),
Lama-Kara (Kozah), Lome (Golfe), Mango (Oti), Niamtougou (Doufelgou), Notse
(Haho), Pagouda, Sotouboua, Tabligbo (Yoto), Tchamba, Nyala, Tchaoudjo,
Tsevie (Zio), Vogan (Vo); note - the 21 units may now be called prefectures
(prefectures, singular - prefecture) and reported name changes for
individual units are included in parentheses
Independence:
27 April 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration, formerly
French Togo)
Constitution:
1980 constitution nullified during national reform conference; transition
constitution adopted 24 August 1991; multiparty draft constitution sent to
High Council of the Republic for approval in November 1991, scheduled to be
put to public referendum in NA 1992
Legal system:
French-based court system
National holiday:
Independence Day 27 April (1960)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
National Assembly dissolved during national reform conference; 79-member
interim High Council for the Republic (HCR) formed to act as legislature
during transition to multiparty democracy; legislative elections scheduled
to be held in NA
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel), Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967)
Head of Government:
interim Prime Minister Joseph Kokou KOFFIGOH (since 28 August 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) led by President EYADEMA was the only
party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12 April 1991;
more than 10 parties formed as of mid-May, though none yet legally
registered; a national conference to determine transition regime took place
10 July-28 August 1991
Suffrage:
universal adult at age NA
Elections:
President:
last held 21 December 1986 (next to be held NA 1992); results - Gen. EYADEMA
was reelected without opposition
National Assembly:
last held 4 March 1990; dissolved during national reform conference (next to
be held April/May 1992); results - RPT was the only party; seats - (77
total) RPT 77
:Togo Government
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Ellom-Kodjo SCHUPPIUS; Chancery at 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-4212 or 4213
US:
Ambassador Harmon E. KIRBY; Embassy at Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue
Vauban, Lome (mailing address is B. P. 852, Lome); telephone [228] 21-29-91
through 94 and 21-77-17; FAX [228] 21-79-52
Flag:
five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with
yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper
hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
:Togo Economy
Overview:
The economy is heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture, which accounts
for about 35% of GDP and provides employment for 78% of the labor force.
Primary agricultural exports are cocoa, coffee, and cotton, which together
account for about 30% of total export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in
basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal. In the industrial sector
phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, with phosphate
exports accounting for about 40% of total foreign exchange earnings. Togo
serves as a regional commercial and trade center. The government, over the
past decade, with IMF and World Bank support, has been implementing a number
of economic reform measures, that is, actively encouraging foreign
investment and attempting to bring revenues in line with expenditures.
Political unrest throughout 1991, however, has jeopardized the reform
program and has disrupted vital economic activity.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $1.5 billion, per capita $400; real growth rate
2% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.0% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
2.0% (1987)
Budget:
revenues $330 million; expenditures $363 million, including capital
expenditures of $101 million (1990 est.)
Exports:
$396 million (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
phosphates, cocoa, coffee, cotton, manufactures, palm kernels
partners:
EC 70%, Africa 9%, US 2%, other 19% (1985)
Imports:
$502 million (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
food, fuels, durable consumer goods, other intermediate goods, capital goods
partners:
EC 61%, US 6%, Africa 4%, Japan 4%, other 25% (1989)
External debt:
$1.3 billion (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 4.9% (1987 est.); 6% of GDP
Electricity:
179,000 kW capacity; 209 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles,
beverages
Agriculture:
cash crops - coffee, cocoa, cotton; food crops - yams, cassava, corn, beans,
rice, millet, sorghum; livestock production not significant; annual fish
catch, 10,000-14,000 tons
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $132 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.9 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $35 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $51
million
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural - francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF)
= 100 centimes
:Togo Economy
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 281.99 (March
1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54
(1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Togo Communications
Railroads:
515 km 1.000-meter gauge, single track
Highways:
6,462 km total; 1,762 km paved; 4,700 km unimproved roads
Inland waterways:
50 km Mono River
Ports:
Lome, Kpeme (phosphate port)
Merchant marine:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,975 GRT/34,022 DWT; includes 2
roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 multifunction large-load carrier
Civil air:
3 major transport aircraft
Airports:
9 total, 9 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
fair system based on network of radio relay routes supplemented by open wire
lines; broadcast stations - 2 AM, no FM, 3 (2 relays) TV; satellite earth
stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 SYMPHONIE