Togo: The Parliament wraps productive extraordinary session with key legislative advances

Lomé, March 28, 2025 – Togo’s National Assembly concluded its first extraordinary session of the year with notable legislative achievements, adopting seven out of eight proposed bills alongside one resolution.

The session, convened at the request of President Faure Gnassingbé under constitutional provisions, demonstrated the government’s commitment to thorough legislative scrutiny while addressing urgent national priorities.

Key outcomes :

• Climate action meadership: The landmark climate change law positions Togo as an environmental policy frontrunner in West Africa
• Balanced security measures: Extension of the security state of emergency incorporates civil liberty safeguards
• Economic governance reforms: Amendments to the Togolese Revenue Authority (OTR) law strengthen fiscal transparency mechanisms
• Deliberate deliberation: One complex bill deferred to ensure comprehensive analysis before adoption

Strategic Impact:
The session’s outcomes reflect President Gnassingbé’s dual focus on immediate stability concerns and long-term development planning.

The climate legislation establishes Africa’s first carbon-neutrality framework at the national level, while the OTR reforms build on Togo’s World Bank-praised public financial management systems.

Security provisions maintain constitutional protections despite emergency extensions—a nuanced approach in a volatile regional context.

Parliamentary leaders emphasized this balance, noting “emergency powers aren’t blank checks” during plenary debates.

With these measures, Togo advances its governance modernization agenda while addressing both transnational challenges (climate change, regional insecurity) and domestic priorities (economic efficiency, institutional transparency).

The deferred bill on digital infrastructure regulation is expected to be prioritized in the next session.

Chantal TAWELESSI