In 2023, electricity consumption in Togo was about 217 kWh per person—roughly 6% of the global average of 3,794 kWh, or around one-seventeenth as much. Net electricity imports amounted to 1.1 TWh, while domestic low-carbon generation supplied about 20 kWh per person. The figures provided do not establish the fossil-fuel share or whether imported electricity was clean or fossil-generated, so a complete breakdown is not possible. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industrial development and access to reliable power for businesses and households.

Is Electricity Growing in Togo?

Togo’s electricity consumption per person has not surpassed its historical peak. The 2023 level was about 7 kWh below the 2014 record of 224 kWh per person, a decline of roughly 3%. Domestic low-carbon electricity generation was also well below its earlier high: about 20 kWh per person, compared with 58 kWh in 1995—roughly two-thirds lower. These comparisons do not show every year’s trend, but they reveal disappointing stagnation in electricity consumption per person and a substantial shortfall in clean generation relative to past achievements.

Suggestions

Togo can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar power, strengthening its grid and developing storage, while exploring suitable wind resources and nuclear cooperation. South Africa offers a relevant African example, with about 20 TWh of solar, 12 TWh of wind and 12 TWh of nuclear generation in the supplied comparison. India’s roughly 205 TWh of solar generation also offers lessons in scaling solar deployment, including projects serving communities and businesses. For reliable clean electricity, Togo could learn from France’s nuclear experience and consider regional partnerships, workforce training and a long-term nuclear development programme suited to its electricity needs. These examples illustrate approaches to adapt, rather than generation targets to copy, and could help Togo expand electricity access without increasing dependence on fossil fuels and their associated air pollution and climate impacts.

History

Togo’s recorded low-carbon electricity history is dominated by fluctuating hydropower output. In the early and middle 1990s, increases of about 0.1 TWh repeatedly alternated with declines of similar size; further falls in 1996–1997 and 1999 interrupted the recovery recorded in 1998. Hydropower fell again in 2001, while the listed change for 2004 was zero. From 2013 through 2019, repeated gains and losses of about 0.1 TWh continued, including consecutive declines in 2017 and 2018 before a recovery in 2019. Solar provided an encouraging addition in 2021, increasing generation by about 0.1 TWh. Building on that solar progress would help move Togo beyond its history of uneven clean electricity output.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade