Strengthening Long-Term Climate Resilience in Togo Through Collaborative NDC Implementation
The West African nation of Togo is highly vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. Rising sea levels, coastal erosion and unpredictable extreme weather patterns pose growing threats to the country. These hazards jeopardize not only the economy but also the livelihoods of millions of Togolese who depend on agriculture, industrial activities in coastal areas and reliable infrastructure for the provision of public services and day-to-day economic activity.
Togo has taken proactive measures to mitigate its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to these climate impacts. In 2021, the country updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), building on its original 2015 submission. The revised NDC sets ambitious goals, including a nearly 21% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to business-as-usual. The 2021 NDC emphasizes adaptation as a top national priority, particularly for coastal areas, covering critical sectors such as water, energy, forestry, agriculture, human settlements and healthcare.
Togo’s climate ambitions are closely aligned with its broader development goals. The national development plan, “Government Roadmap 2020-2025,” is built around three strategic axes: strengthening social inclusion, boosting job creation and modernizing the country while enhancing its infrastructure. Now, to advance climate action and drive sustainable development nationwide, Togo is developing a vision for climate action over the long-term and strengthening immediate action, with support from UNDP Climate Promise through the NDC Partnership.
Strengthening Climate Action Through Partnership Support
Since joining the NDC Partnership in 2018, Togo has actively engaged the NDC Partnership to align its climate goals with national development priorities.
The NDC Partnership recently spoke with NDC Partnership Focal Point for the Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources Mr. Bouraima Ouro-Gouni and National Focal Point for the Carbon Credit Management Mechanism Dr. Komlan Edou, to take stock of NDC implementation in Togo, covering key challenges, successes and next steps to accelerate climate action across the country.
“So far, all requests for support have been successful thanks to mobilization across the Partnership. This has been a huge asset for us,” remarks Mr. Bouraima.
The NDC Partnership plays a critical role in connecting Country Members like Togo with the right resources and expertise available across our coalition of countries, major international institutions and non-state actors. By aligning support requests from countries with targeted technical assistance and funding, the Partnership ensures countries can effectively develop and implement their NDCs.
Support to Togo has enabled the country to strengthen policies, strategies and legislation, improve coordination across government and set a strong foundation for NDC implementation. This includes developing a vision for its Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) and an NDC roadmap, which outlines the concrete actions, timelines and resources needed to achieve its national climate goals. With NDC Partnership support, including strong engagement from the United Nations Development Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Environment in Togo has strengthened coordination with implementing partners, paving the way for a more cohesive and integrated climate action.
A key issue for Togo is that key sectors, such as agriculture and health, face challenges in fully assessing and reporting on their NDC implementation.
“To date, no sector has been able to provide a clear picture of what has been achieved, what remains to be done and where the gaps and constraints lie,” notes Dr. Komlan Edou, emphasizing the need for more effective tools and training. “Our main challenge is in collecting activity data and information. We need to strengthen the capacity of reporting information in real-time.”
With Partnership support, Togo has advanced NDC implementation by addressing key challenges in monitoring, data collection and aligning national and local climate actions. Dr. Komlan Edou highlighted the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT), which has improved sectoral data collection and established a comprehensive climate information system. The project, implemented by UNEP with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), has improved technical and human capacities through training on GHG inventories and monitoring climate actions. Strengthening these capacities will generate harmonized, high-quality data, improving decision-making and policy development at the national level.
Another key priority for Togo involves ensuring greater involvement from sectoral ministries in the NDC process. Mr. Bouraima highlights that effective climate action requires not only national coordination but also local ownership, particularly in municipalities that must integrate climate considerations into their planning. “The territorialization of the NDCs has been a success so far. To date, 119 municipalities have participated in the process, but this involvement needs to be expanded,” explains Mr. Ibrahima.
With Partnership support, Togo is committed to build on its solid foundation for climate action involving the whole of government and society. Having established a national coordination mechanism for its NDCs and integrated gender considerations into its climate strategies, the country is now focused on mobilizing resources for adaptation, particularly in agriculture, water and forestry, to enhance resilience and improve the livelihoods of its citizens.
Raising Long-Term Climate Ambition in Togo
Togo is now working towards developing a quantified LT-LEDS focused on creating low-carbon development scenarios for key sectors like energy, forestry and waste. At the same time, the country is assessing adaptation strategies for agriculture, human settlements, health, water resources and coastal areas to ensure robust and inclusive climate resilience. A central part of this effort involves extensive stakeholder engagement, with Togo working to build national support for the LT-LEDS process through workshops and awareness sessions that involve political leaders and local communities.
Additionally, Togo plans to assess and update its current NDCs, incorporating socio-economic impacts, gender considerations and the latest climate science to shape a more inclusive and forward-looking climate strategy.
“There are many key steps in strategy development,” explains Mr. Bouraima. “The first is crafting the vision, which we achieved thanks to the mobilization of a high-quality design team by the UNDP. The successfully created an inclusive vision document, involving sectoral ministries and local authorities. Indeed, the LT-LEDS is a strategy that commits the entire country, from grassroots communities to the Ministry of the Environment. High-level, cross-ministry and municipal support is now crucial to move us forward.”
Through the development of its NDCs 3.0 and LT-LEDS, Togo is expanding its climate action with the support of the NDC Partnership and UNDP Climate Promise, paving the way for a more sustainable and climate-resilient future for its citizens.
Partnership Support Available to Countries
The NDC Partnership supports countries in implementing NDCs and in preparing NDCs 3.0, the next round due in 2025, and aligning them with LT-LEDS through the Global Call for NDCs 3.0 & LT-LEDS.
The NDC 3.0 Navigator is also available for countries to help guide NDC updates and enhancements. The Navigator is an interactive tool that supports countries in identifying nationally relevant opportunities and strategies to raise ambition and accelerate the implementation of their NDCs 3.0. The Navigator equips countries to scope and prepare high-quality, comprehensive requests for NDCs and LT-LEDS support through the Global Call.