Togo
Summary
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 multi-party elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has been in power almost continually since 1967 and its successor, the Union for the Republic, 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. Since 2007, President GNASSINGBE has started the country along a gradual path to democratic reform. Togo has since held multiple presidential and legislative elections deemed generally free and fair by international observers. Despite those positive moves, political reconciliation has moved slowly, and the country experiences periodic outbursts of violent protest by frustrated citizens. Recent constitutional changes to institute a runoff system in presidential elections and establish term limits has done little to reduce the resentment many Togolese feel after over 50 years of one-family rule. [1]
📷: Wikipedia
Statistics
From the The Joshua Project [2]
In the News
📷: Wikipedia
Prayer Guide
Bible translation remains a major ministry challenge. The whole Bible is completed in Kabiye, one of two indigenous languages used in schools. Four languages have definite Bible translation needs. Work in 12 languages is in progress, much of it by WBT workers. Training national translation workers is now one of the greatest priorities for Bible translation.
Christian media ministries for prayer are:
a) Christian literature is in great demand and cheap to produce. Pray for the ministry of The Bible Society as well as the CLC and ABWE bookshops in distributing Scripture. ABWE, WBT and others undertake literacy projects, which enable such resources to actually be used.
b) Audio resources are vital in this low-literacy nation. GRN produced materials in 55 languages, including the FCBH series. Audio Scripture Ministries trains nationals to produce Christian audio resources such as music and teaching.
c) EHC distributes hundreds of thousands of pieces of literature as well as ministers through primary health care to the communities they reach.
d) Christian radio and TV. Local stations broadcast Christian programmes; there is also one well-acclaimed Christian radio station in Lomé. Christian television channels include Television la Solution and TV Zion. African Christian Television produces programmes for broadcast on the national channels. The JESUS film is shown extensively in film and on TV and is available in 18 languages.
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