Logistics services in Togo.

Togo logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in Togo rely on sea, air, rail and cross-border road connections. Lome and Kpeme are the main seaports, with cargo pier depths of about 15 m and 9.8 m. Lome is the medium-sized port and main container hub, supported by a coastline of about 56 km.

Lomé-Tokoin International Airport (LFW) handles scheduled air freight, which moved about 59 million tonne-km in 2023. Rail covers about 568 km and connects to Kpeme. Road freight links Togo with Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana across borders of 651 km, 131 km and 1,098 km.

Freight forwarders in Togo need to manage sea, air and land links around Lome and Kpeme. Lome is the focal port for containers and hosts offices for APL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, Maersk, ONE, PIL and ZIM, which matters when booking space or resolving schedule issues.

Togo’s Logistics Performance Index score is 2.5, below the world median of 2.7, with customs at 2.3 and infrastructure at 2.3. When selecting freight forwarders in Togo, shippers should pay attention to how they handle customs and infrastructure constraints and how they use ECOWAS membership for regional road and cross-border moves to key partners in the UAE, India and China.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Togo centers on the port of Lome, supported by Kpeme for bulk traffic. Lome is a medium-sized seaport with about 15 m cargo pier depth and handles about 2 million TEU, ranking 50th of 168 worldwide and 2nd of 33 in its region. Kpeme is very small, with about 9.8 m depth and a rail connection.

Togo’s liner shipping connectivity index stands at about 36 in 2021, ranking 46th of 169 worldwide and 3rd of 32 in the region. Major container lines with offices in Lome include APL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, Maersk, ONE, PIL and ZIM. These carriers support both FCL and LCL shipping from and to Togo.

Air freight in Togo uses Lomé-Tokoin International Airport (LFW) as the main scheduled gateway. The country moved about 59 million tonne-km of air cargo in 2023, ranking 71st of 184 worldwide and 7th of 47 in its region.

Air makes most sense for higher-value or time-sensitive exports like gold and refined petroleum, and imports such as garments and smaller high-value items. It supplements strong seaport connectivity at Lome when shippers need faster transit to and from major partners in the UAE, India, China, Belgium, the Netherlands and the USA.

Rail and road freight in Togo is shaped by its 568 km rail network and multiple land borders. Rail connects to Kpeme, supporting bulk movements to the port. The network provides inland access to the short coastline of about 56 km.

Road corridors are central for trade with Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana, with borders of 651 km, 131 km and 1,098 km. These links make Togo a regional transit option within ECOWAS, moving goods between hinterland markets and the seaports at Lome and Kpeme.

Customs clearance in Togo benefits from participation in the World Customs Organization since 1990 and WTO membership. The country is also part of ECOWAS and the African Union, which shapes regional trade conditions.

The average applied tariff is about 14 percent as of 2022. Togo’s LPI customs score is 2.3 compared with a world median of 2.6, and overall LPI is 2.5 against a median of 2.7. Reported border compliance times are about 2 days for exports and 3 days for imports. Shippers should prepare at least a commercial invoice, packing list and transport document for clearance.