Lomé

Location of Lomé in Togo

Lomé, estimated population 700,000 ( 1998), is the capital of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial centre and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels. It also has an oil refinery. Lomé is located at 6°7'55" North, 1°13'22" East (6.131944, 1.222778). [1]

The city was founded in the eighteenth century by the Ewe people. In 1882, the village, known then as Bey Beach, became a major trading centre with the arrival of Chico and Octaviano Olympio as agents for the British trading firm A. and F. Swanzy.

Bey Beach became the capital of Togo when the German rulers transferred capital status from Aneho in 1897. The city then grew quickly until it was taken by the French Army in 1914 during World War I.

Lomé lies in the extreme south west of Togo, up against the Ghanaian border. Attractions in the city include Lomé Grand Market, the Togo National Museum in the Palais de Congrés, a fetish market, Lomé Cathedral, beaches and the former wharf.

The University of Benin is located in Lomé. Togo's main airport is outside the city, while the tallest building in Lomé and in all of Togo is the 2 Fevrier Sofitel Hotel building. The former railway line to Blitta runs from the city.

Neighbourhoods in Lomé include Kodjoviakopé, Nyekonakopé, Amoutivé, Tokoin and Bé. The northern neighbourhoods are almost separated from the centre by a lagoon.

International agreements signed in Lomé

  • On February 28, 1975, a financial and economic treaty was signed in Lomé between the European Economic Community and 46 African, Caribbean and Pacific states. This treaty is known as the first Lomé Convention.
  • With the assistance of the international community, Sierra Leone President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Revolutionary United Front leader Foday Sankoh signed the Lomé Peace Accord on July 7, 1999. Unfortunately, the agreement did not last and the Sierra Leone Civil War continued for two more years.

Sister City