Togo

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months later. Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. After years of political unrest and condemnation from international organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community.

Economical characteristics

 * Currency: CFA franc (ISO code: XOF)
 * Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2009)
 * Commercial banks lending rate: NA% (31 December 2009 )
 * Stock of money (M1): $712.6 million (31 December 2008)
 * Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $414.9 million (31 December 2008)

Notable events:

 * Banking crisis: 1993-1995

Links

 * Togo on Wikipedia
 * Central bank of Togo
 * Country profile (pdf) from the Enterprise Studies page (part of the The World Bank Group)
 * BBC country profile