West African country – Togo – is one of the tiniest countries in the world with a width of less than 115 km. It is also among one of the most visited places in sub-Saharan Africa.
With a population of approximately 10 million people, Togo is bordered by Ghana to the West, Benin to the East, and Burkina Faso to the North. Lome, its economic and cultural capital is located in the south to the Gulf of Guinea.
Togo, like other African countries, has had its fair share of political instability. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the first president, Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio was overthrown in a military coup d’etat by the longest-serving president, Gnassingbe Eyadema in 1967. Eyadema stayed on the seat until he died in 2005 – ruling for 38 years.
His son, Faure Gnassingbe took over the presidency, and has since being in charge. Togo is enriched with a range of languages, but its official language is French. Agriculture is a major contributor to its slow-paced economy.
Togo might be small in size, however, it can boast of some of Africa’s most successful personalities, who have calved a niche for themselves across the globe.
In this article, we cast the spotlight on some famous people you probably didn’t know are from Togo.
