TOGO: Construction of a 760 km railway from the capital Lomé to Cinkassé on the border with Burkina Faso is included in a national development plan unveiled by the government of Togo. It is envisaged that the line could eventually run to Ouagadougou.

State-owned Togo Invest Holding has been tasked with with developing the line through a PPP arrangement.

President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Togo, Germain Meba, said neighbouring Ghana’s plans for a line to Ouagadougou had spurred Togo to develop its proposal in an effort to stay competitive in the region.

The metre-gauge railway running inland from the coast at Anéhoto to Lomé and Blitta is currently out of use. Passenger services ceased in the mid-1990s, and since 2013 only the 40 km Tabligbo – Dalavé route has been operational, carrying phosphate and ore.

A short 3 km cross-border connection was completed in 2014 linking a cement plant at Aflao in Ghana with the port of Lomé.