Policies and Institutions

The main migration policy instruments in Togo:

Non-exhaustive list of key policy documents in the area of migration:

• Decree No. 60-59 of 18 June 1960 establishing the Emigration-Immigration Service. This service, responsible in particular for controlling the exits and entrances of persons in Togo, was also responsible for issuing the prescribed travel documents to Togolese wishing to travel abroad.
• 1962/1969: ratification of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
• 1970: ratification of the 1969 AU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa.
• 1979: ECOWAS Protocols on the Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and Establishment (1979, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990).
• 1987: Law No. 87-12 on the Aliens Police.
• 1996: Decree No. 96-113 determining the general conditions for the issuance of visas and residence permits and setting out special schemes.
• 2005: Law No. 2005-009 on child trafficking.
• 2009: ratification of the 2000 Protocol on Trafficking in Human Beings.
• 2010: ratification of the 2000 Protocol on Smuggling of Migrants;
• 2005 : Decree No. 2005-054/PR of 8 June 2005 on the establishment of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and Humanitarian Action (HCRAH).
• 2015 : Law No. 2015-010 of 24 November 2015 adopting the new Togolese Penal Code, which severely punishes the smuggling and trafficking of migrants by land, sea and air.
• 2015: Development of the Migration Profile in 2015.
• 2016: Development of the National Strategy for Migration and Development in 2016.
• 2017: National Action Plan on Combating Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling in 2017.
• 2017: Development of the Professional Migration Strategy in 2017.

The main ministries in charge of migration affairs in Togo

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration;
• Ministry of Security and Civil Protection: in charge of immigration management and the fight against trafficking in human beings;
• Ministry of Social Action, Women's Empowerment and Literacy;
• Ministry of Development Planning;
• Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Administrative Reform;
• Ministry of Trade and Private Sector Promotion;
• Ministry of Higher Education and Research;
• Ministry of Economy and Finance:
• Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralisation and Local Authorities;
• Ministry of Human Rights and the Consolidation of Democracy.

Sources:

• ICMPD et OIM (2016): Enquête sur les politiques migratoires en Afrique de l’Ouest. Deuxième édition.
• United Nations DESA-Population Division and UNICEF (2014): Migration Profiles - Common Set of Indicators.

Last updated: December 2018