Togo

BORDERING ON THE Bight of Benin in sub-Saharan Africa, the small Togolese republic covers six different geographic regions, which are home to some 37 African tribes. With an annual per capita income of $1,600, Togo experiences an official poverty rate of 32 percent. Unofficial reports place the poverty rate at 72 percent, with 57.4 percent of the population classified as extremely poor. The fact that poverty affects women more than men has resulted in what is known around the world as the “feminization of poverty.” One-third of the Togolese population is malnourished, as are one-fourth of all Togolese children.

The Togolese economy is based on a combination of subsistence and commercial agriculture, which employs some 65 percent of the labor force. Around 56.4 percent of all agricultural workers are women. Togo's most valuable asset is the arable land that covers 46.15 percent of the 54,385 square kilometers that make up the land area. However, only 2.21 percent of the arable land is allotted to permanent crops, and Togo imports much of its basic food requirements. Togo is subject to periodic droughts, and slash-and-burn tactics threaten much of the remaining forests. Major exports include cotton, cacao, and coffee. Fourth in the world in the production of phosphate, Togo lost almost 21 percent of that income in 2002 because of power shortages and the inability to keep up with development costs.

Because of ongoing political unrest, most foreign aid to Togo was frozen for a number of years. In 2004, the European Union resumed aid to Togo and began supporting new development programs. The Togolese government has initiated economic reforms along the guidelines established by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, Togo continues to face extreme poverty and high mortality and death rates that strip the country of both human and material resources.

The Togolese population of 5,681,519 experiences a life expectancy of 52.64 years and a median age of [Page 1071]17.78 years. Life expectancy has changed only slightly since 1980, when life expectancy was recorded at 48 and 51 years for males and females respectively. Some 43.2 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and only 2.6 percent of Togolese reach the age of 65. The Togolese have a 37.9 percent chance of dying before the age of 40.

Approximately 46 percent of Togolese lack access to safe water, and rampant water pollution is a constant threat to health. In 1992, Togo reported 10,000 cases of Guinea worm disease, a debilitating disease contracted through exposure to infected water. Through efforts by former president Jimmy Carter and Emory University's Carter Center, working in conjunction with locals to teach prevention methods, the incidence had plummeted to 601 in 2003. In some areas, the risk of developing malaria and yellow fever is also high. In addition to exposing the population to food-and waterborne diseases that are epidemic in much of sub-Saharan Africa, water pollution endangers the fishing industry, raising both health and economic concerns. Improper sanitation also creates major health problems in Togo, and 66 percent of the people have no proper access to this basic necessity.

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