Development cooperation with Togo was suspended for almost 20 years due to massive human rights violations and was resumed again in 2012. The international community thus acknowledged the steps taken by the country towards democracy and the rule of law. The parliamentary elections held in July 2013 as well as the presidential elections in April 2015 were peaceful and internationally recognised. Between 2017 and 2018, the country suffered another political crisis, which ultimately led to the parliamentary elections in December 2018, without the participation of the traditional opposition and thanks to mediation by the international community. The new parliament adopted new constitutional reforms, including limiting the president's term of office to five years, which can be extended once. This rule will apply starting from the presidential elections in 2020.
Now is the time to push ahead with Togo's development as one of the poorest countries in the world: more than two out of five Togolese live on less than USD 1.25 a day, a third of the population does not have access to clean drinking water, and a quarter of children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition. 80% of Togo's population makes a living from agriculture, which results in a poorly diversified economy that is highly dependent on agricultural products. In order to support Togo as it tackles these challenges, KfW primarily supports programmes that focus on decentralisation, rural development and vocational training as well as programmes in the energy and health sectors.
