Embassy of India
Lomé

India-Togo Bilateral Brief

Political relations

India and Togo have cordial bilateral relations. India recognized the Togolese Republic since it attained Independence in 1960. Togo opened its Embassy in New Delhi in 2010 and since then is headed by a Charge d’Affaires. India opened its Embassy in Togo on 3 September 2020.

Visits from Togo 

Togolese President Mr. Gnassingbe Eyadema paid a State visit to India from 26 to 29 September 1994. Being the first visit by a President of Togo, this opened a new chapter in mutual relations and added an impetus to bilateral cooperation between the two countries. (Earlier in 1989, President Eyadema had made a brief stopover in Calcutta on his way to China).

Togo signed and ratified the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and at the joint invitation extended by Prime Minister Modi and French President Macron, President Faure Gnassingbe participated in the International Solar Alliance Founding Conference held in New Delhi on 11 March 2018. The Togolese President had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister.

3^rd IAFS Participation

The Togolese Foreign Minister Prof. Robert Dussey led the Togolese delegation to the IAFS-III Summit in New Delhi (27-30 October 2015) and he had a bilateral meeting with then EAM on 28 October. The Togolese Minister of Commerce, Industry and Private Sector Promotion Ms. Essossima Legzim Balouki also visited India to take part in the Trade Ministers’ Meet on the sidelines of IAFS-III on 23-24 October 2015.

Participation in CII-Exim Bank Conclaves 

Togo’s participation at the annual CII-EXIM Bank Conclaves has been at high level. Minister of Commerce, Industry and Private Sector Promotion, Ms. Essossimna Legzim-Baloukim, led the Togolese delegation to the 9^th CII-Exim Bank Conclave held in Delhi in March 2013; 11^th CII- Exim Bank Conclave in 2016; 12^th Conclave in 2017 and 13^th CII-Exim Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership held at New Delhi from 25-27 March, 2018. Ambassador of Togo to Nigeria, accompanied by Mr. Mensah Koffi Vinyo, Director of private sector promotion, attended the CII-EXIM Bank India-West Africa Regional Conclave held at Abuja, Nigeria on 8-9 October, 2018. Minister of Commerce, Industry and Local Consumption Mr. Kodjo Adedze took part in the 16^th CII-Exim Bank Conclave held on virtual platform on 13-15 July 2021. Minister of Investment Promotion Ms. Rose Kayi Mivedor led a 28-member business delegation to the 17 ^th CII-Exim Bank Conclave held in Delhi on 19-20 July 2022.

Earlier, Prime Minister, Mr. Gilbert Fousson Houngbo led a Togolese delegation to the 6^th CII- EXIM Bank Conclave in India in March 2010 and the 12^th Regional Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership in Accra on 3 June 2010. He again visited India leading a 50-member delegation in March 2011 for the 7^th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Partnership. Minister of Cooperation and NEPAD of Togo led the Togolese delegation for the CII Conclave in October 2006. High level government and the business delegations participated in the CII– EXIM Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership held in November 2005 and in May 2006 in Accra.

Other Ministerial visits 

Minister of Higher Education and Research of Togo Prof. Ihou Wateba visited India from 2 – 10 October 2022 under Distinguished Visitors Programme (DVP) of ICCR. During the visit, Minister Wateba visited various academic institutes in India.

Mr. Mustafa Mijiyawa, Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Government of Togo, attended the Fourth India-Africa Health Forum organized in Mumbai on 16 March, 2018. H.E. Mr. Antoine Lekpa Gbegbeni, Minister of Water Sanitation and Village Hydraulics, led a five- member delegation to attend the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention held in New Delhi from 29 September to 2 October 2018. Mr Marc Dederiwe Ably Bidamon, Minister of Mines and Energy, led a delegation for the 1^st General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance held in New Delhi from 2-5 October 2018.

Other visits 

Togolese Chief of Army Staff Colonel Kassawa Kolemega visited India from 18-22 October 2022 to take part in DefExpo.

Two officials from Ministry of Health of Togo Dr Malou Koboyo, head of traditional medicine division in Ministry of Health and Prof. Diallo Aboudoulatif took part in the inaugural ceremony of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar on 19 April 2022 and the World Summit of Investment and Innovation of AYUSH held in Ahmedabad on 21-22 April, 2022.

A four-member delegation from International Solar Alliance (ISA) and NTPC visited Lomé on 18-20 March 2022 and met the head of AT2ER, the national focal point of ISA as well as Ministry of Energy and Mines of Togo.

Togolese Navy Chief Captain Kossi Mayo visited India from 25 February to 1 March 2022 to participate in MILAN 2022. On the margins of the event, he held a meeting with Chief of Navy Staff of India.

The senior diplomatic Advisor to the President, Mr KOFFI Esaw, visited India in October 2010 in connection with inauguration of the Resident Mission of Togo in India.

Visits from India 

Ministerial-level visits

Minister of State for External Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan visited Togo from 5-6 September 2019. During the visit, MoS called on H.E. President, had a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister, Minister of Mines and Energy, and Minister of Digital Economy and Digital Transformation. He also delivered an address at the Diplomatic Club of Lomé and interacted with the Indian community.

MoS Defence, Dr Subash Bhamre, visited Togo to participate in the AU Extraordinary Summit on Maritime Safety and Security in October 2016. India had gifted US$100,000 for hosting of the Summit in response to request made by Togolese Foreign Minister to EAM on the margins of 3^rd IAFS in October 2015.

MOS for Agriculture Shri Mohanbhai Kundariya visited Togo from 7-8 July 2015 as the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to deliver the invitation to the President and Prime Minister of Togo for the IAFS-III Summit. He called on the Prime Minister of Togo Dr. Komi Selom Klassou during the visit.

Shri Anand Sharma, MoS (AS), met the President of Togo on 7 March 2007 in Accra during the visit to Ghana to participate in the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Ghana’s independence and discussed with him various issues of mutual interest.

Lok Sabha Speaker, Dr. Balram Jakhar, visited Lomé in 1985 for the Inter-Parliamentary Conference.

Other visits

A three-member delegation led by Director General, International Solar Alliance (ISA) Dr. Ajay Mathur visited Lomé on 3-5 July 2023 to take part in the “Infrastructure for Africa” Forum hosted by Africa50 in collaboration with the Government of Togo.

A four-member delegation from International Solar Alliance (ISA) and NTPC visited Lomé on 18-20 March 2022 and met the head of AT2ER, the national focal point of ISA as well as Ministry of Energy and Mines of Togo.

A delegation led by Secretary (Fertilizers) visited Togo on 10-11 July 2013. A 3-member delegation led by Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education, visited Togo in December 2013.

Shri Kailash Satyarthi, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner and honorary President of the Global March against Child Labour, was received by the Speaker of Togolese Parliament in March 2018.

Economic and Commercial Relations

India is among the top trading partners of Togo. Togo is one of the beneficiaries of the Duty- Free Trade Preference scheme. According to available statistics, total bilateral trade between the two countries for the last few years is follows:

India’s major items of export to Togo include mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; cereals, mainly rice; engineering goods; manmade filaments; manmade yarn, fabrics, made-ups; pharmaceuticals; plastic articles; paper articles, cotton; transport equipment; etc. Major import items from Togo are natural phosphates, nuts, oilseeds, waste and scrap, wood articles, and cotton.

Development Partnership - India has extended five Lines of Credit (LOCs) worth around US$150 million bilaterally to Togo for various projects. The projects implemented/ signed/approved are: (I) Rural Electrification Project in 2011; (II) Farming and cultivation of rice, maize and sorghum in 2012; (III) Rural Electrification to cover 150 localities in 2016; (IV) Setting-up of 161 KV power transmission line in 2016; and (V) project to support electrification of 350 villages through deployment of solar photovoltaic systems in June 2021.

On 15 July 2019, a project to promote biodiversity friendly livelihoods in the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park (North-Togo), funded by the Government of India through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund for US $1 million, was launched in Lomé. The project, which got completed in October 2022, was implemented by UNESCO. The project consisted of setting up a biosphere reserve around the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park. The project, which reflects the dynamism of South-South Cooperation, aimed at preserving biodiversity and the problems of deforestation, land degradation and the decline of agricultural production.

India has provided economic assistance to Togo in the form of tractors (60), water pump, sewing machine, ambulance, transport vehicles, corn-grinding machine etc. On the request from Togolese Government, India extended grant assistance that included supply of indelible ink in 2002 for the elections held in Togo; India rendered humanitarian assistance in the form of medicines to ameliorate the suffering of the victims of the floods in 2008; Togolese Government approached India for support in organizing the AU Maritime Security Summit in Lomé to be held in October 2016, for with an assistance of US $100,000 was extended.

Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme

India offers training in human resource development under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. 298 officials from Togo have been trained under the ITEC programme in the last 15 years. For the year 2023-24, 14 defence slots under ITEC have also been allocated to Togo, which are being utilized by Togolese defence personnel.

Cultural Relations

Prior to 2022-23, 12 ICCR scholarships were utilized by Togo. In the year 2022-23 Academic Year, Togo utilized all five slots.

A 10-member Togolese cultural troupe took part in Chhattisgarh National Dance Festival being held on 1-3 November 2022.

To mark Freedom 70/India@70 celebrations, a performance by an Odissi Dance troupe sponsored by Ministry of Culture (GOL) was organized on 09^th August 2017. An Indian dance ensemble had earlier visited Togo in 1984.

The International Day of Yoga is organized every year. The 9^th International Day of Yoga was celebrated on 21 June 2023.

Indian Community - Indian community in Togo is small and there are about 1,000 Indians living in the country. The community has an Association. While a number of Indian community members are traders or have retail grocery outlets, including restaurants, some members run major business operations and form a group of companies. Top 10 major Indian business companies together employ more than 4,000 local hires.

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August 2023