226 Country Report: Information Network

Togo First: One of the most popular news outlets in Togo, it is run by Togolese citizens but there are many different authors. It has been translated to English, but it also has a French section. They focus primarily on economic news around the country and neighboring nations. They are funded by the Business Climate Cell, so I believe that influences why they write specifically about economics in the region. Overall, the news outlet seems pretty neutral in delivering news about the economy and does not seem to favor one corporation over another. It is set up with multiple stories accessible on the home page, as well as subsections from particular kinds of business. I do not see any weakness from this source on the surface level and it seems like a very strong page that also allows you to contact the writers and workers with more questions and connections.

You can access the source here: News (togofirst.com)

I think this source is really valuable for those who are interested in the economic development of Togo and how it affects every aspect of life. They have information ranging from exports to climate change to COVID-19. If you need to find something specific, you will likely find it here.

Togolese Republic: This news outlet seems to be very popular in the country but looking at it for a while, it seems to favor the government a lot. It highlights the positive actions the president has recently been doing but I do not see any criticisms. The news outlet is in French, but I was able to translate it into English via Microsoft. This outlet is very broad in what topics it talks about, and it seems to be run in-country by Togolese citizens. They also talk about news in neighboring countries as well as far away as Ukraine. Although it does seem that they favor the government, they still talk about real issues like health care and development throughout the country. I think a big weakness that it has is how short the articles are and how clear it is that they favor the government. Their biggest strength is the variety of types of news that they have.

You can access the source here: Home – Togolese Republic (republicoftogo.com)

I think this source can be valuable to those who are interested in learning about different sectors of the country. I also think it is a great example of bias and how bias in media can change our perspective on certain issues.

Liberte: A daily newspaper that covers many topics from politics to entertainment. It is a Togolese based newspaper that is in full French, I was able to translate online though via Microsoft Translate. You can access this news source is online but I also believe that it is a physical newspaper in-country. It also has news from other areas around the world, it does not state the author of these articles but you can tell that this newspaper does not side with the government. Many of these authors seem to not have names but this newspaper was recently suspended by the government for three months. I think their biggest strength is consistency but I will say that their weakness could be the way that they write about the government, it could be seen as antagonizing and can be a big reason as to why they got suspended.

You can access the source here:Home – FREEDOM TOGO (libertetogo.info)

I think this source is valuable to those who want an opposing argument of the government, although some stuff might not be credible just like the government websites, it will give a better understanding of fault in the country.

Togo Tribune: It is a daily newspaper that is written in English that tells a variety of news about Togo. It has topics from sports to science. It has information about Togolese people across the world,  from France to Turkey. This news site seems neutral but it also does not bad mouth the government, criticizes but it does not antagonize. This news site is based in Togo but the authors seem to be anonymous because they are not listed on the site. The layout of the website is great and many things are accessible on the front page.I think its strength is the variety of the news they cover, especially when it pertains to Togolese people across the world. I think a weakness could be that it is stated that it is a daily newspaper but it doesn’t seem to have a daily post.

You can access the source here: Togo Tribune | All Togolese news

I think this is a great source for those who are looking for a variety of topics about the Togolese people around the world and are looking for something in English. I think it is also beneficial for those who are looking for a site that takes a neutral stance in the country.

Africa.com:This website is a women-led media company that was founded by an African American woman from California, USA. She has stated that the mission of this website is to highlight the positive aspect of the African continent that the Western media does not show you. A lot of their work is based on storytelling and talks about every country in Africa, not just Togo. The website is in English and has a heavy emphasis on women and the work they do throughout the continent. They have information that varies from business to music and the layout of the website shows a variety of stories on the front page. I think their biggest strength is their representation for women since a lot of countries and media do not highlight their impact on the world, they also have a variety of workers from across the world; many that are from the continent. I do not see any weaknesses, but some may consider it a weakness that they focus mostly on stories about women.

You can access the source here: All About Togo – Africa.com (www.africa.com)

This source can be valuable for those who are focused on projects related to women across the continent. They could also be valuable to those who are interested in a variety of issues.

CIA: A United States based government organization that gives specific details about Togo. It talks about the history of the country, where it is on the map, travel facts etc. It goes into extensive detail on the people, the environment, and the government. It seems very neutral but it is a website that is for a certain nation’s government so it could be slightly biased. I think its strength is the amount of detail that they put into talking about the nations. But I think the biggest weakness is the reputation of the CIA across the world, they are known to lie and give misleading information. The author is stated only as the CIA and the website is in English. It is stated that the information provided is mainly for government officials and requirements of what they need to know but it is accessible to the public, which I think is good.

You can access the source here: Togo – The World Factbook (cia.gov)

I think this website would be good for someone looking for an outside perspective of the country and who want a more formal understanding of the country. The information available seems to cater towards those interested in International Affairs and Development. But is it easy for someone who does not have an expertise in the subject to understand.

Lonely Planet: This is a travel website that shows information about different countries. It is in English and it does not say where the website owner is from. Their goal is to show how travel can help us learn about others. It gives you places to travel in Togo and where to eat.It shows you exactly where the destinations are on a map to help those who have never been to the country before. I think a strength is that they list the prices for the activities. I think the weakness that it has is that it doesn’t talk about the dangers of these places.

You can access the source here: Togo travel – Lonely Planet | Africa

I think this would be a good website for those who are interested in traveling to the country and are looking for things to do, especially for people who are from English-speaking countries.

Instagram: Togolaise_du_monde_entier: This Instagram account seems to be run by a local from Togolese who talks about everything dealing with Togo, a lot of the information present is about the history of the country and recognizing its beauty and culture. All of the captions are in French but can be translated to your preferred language. The biggest objective seems to be spreading the love for Togo, but they also have reported issues of censorship and people who are being put at risk for journalist opinions and writings. This account seems to be for the people and their concerns and does not seem to be connected to the government. I think the biggest strength is that they are speaking out of concern for the people and that they post a good amount and consistently. I think a weakness could be that not everyone has access to Instagram so a lot of what they publish cannot be seen by many Togolese people.

You can access the source here: Togolais_du_monde_entier (@togolais_du_monde_entier) 

I think this would be a good resource for those who want to have a personal understanding of the Togolese people and situations that are happening to citizens. It is more informal and more accessible for younger generations who use social media more than they read/watch the news.

Twitter: @TogoDiplomacy This account talks a lot about the politics of Togo and goes into detail about the inner workings of the Parliament. It seems to favor one politician in particular so I believe that it could be run by his team or it is himself. There is an English account and a French account but they both seem to be run by someone in the country. I think its biggest strength is that it is available in English and French and it speaks of the actual meetings that happen in the government. I think the weakness is that it does not talk about anybody else but one man.

You can access the source here:🇹🇬 Togolese Diplomacy (@TogoDiplomacy) / Twitter

I think this account could be helpful for those who want to know more interpersonal information about the country’s government, specifically the parliament

Instagram:@visit.togo This account talks about travel in Togo and things to do across the country. It seems that the goal of this account is to promote people coming to visit Togo.It talks about the culture of Togo and things you would not know if you were visiting without research. The account is in French but you can translate it to English. I think the strength of this account is its variety of information available about the country and where to visit. I do not see any weaknesses at the moment and seems like a great account.

You can access the source here: Visiter Le Togo (@visit.togo) • Instagram photos and videos

I think this account would be helpful for those who want to travel to Togo and want have a more personal visit to the country.

World Bank: This data source is very popular in the understanding of development and research. Although it is mostly for data usage, it also has links to projects and an overview of the country. There are people from across the world from almost all countries who provide data to this website. But the data source can be a little confusing or stressful due to the extent of the information. The website that it is located on is in English so that can be a deterrent for many. I think this website has many weaknesses, one would be that a lot of the data available is not up to date, but this also because of the pandemic. I also think this data source can be biased due to the fact that the highest directors of the board are a part of the wealthiest countries and do not have a lot of representation for developing countries. Also, there are many countries that are not a part of the World Bank. I will say that a strength would be that it has a lot of data for most countries on the same website.

You can access the source here: Togo Overview: Development news, research, data | World Bank

I think this website will be useful for those who need reliable data to back up their projects on these countries and also for those who need a better understanding on economic growth. I will also say that it is a good resource for those who are visual learners.

IMF: This is the UN financial agency that focuses on each country in the United Nations and their financial standing. It is supposed to help support sustainable growth and prosperity for these countries. The website gives data about Togo that ranges from GDP to any outstanding loans that they might have. It is in English but I assumed that it can be accessible in many languages because it is the United Nations. The people who run this are on the IMF board. I think the biggest strength of this data is how much they actually have and how recent it is, they even have projected growth. A weakness would be that it could be set up a little easier, you have to click a lot of things to access certain sectors. I think it would be better if it was all open on the screen.

You can access the source here:Togo and the IMF

I think this website would be good for someone looking into a more detailed version of the economics of Togo. It could provide resources for research and academic work as well as to look for solutions for economic downfall.

Power Africa: Power Africa is a sector of USAID and it focuses on bringing cleaner energy and making sure there is accessibility across the continent. It is in English and run by the United States so it might be a little biased in information. This website gives a complete overview of the energy situation in Togo. It talks about the type of energy available, how much of each energy source is used, and accessibility to this energy. I think a weakness is that it doesn’t go into enough detail on how they helped increase energy accessibility and how hard it was to get the initiative started. A good strength is that it has visual aids like videos and maps.

You can access the source here: Power Africa | U.S. Agency for International Development (usaid.gov)

I think this website will be good for someone who is interested in the energy sector and helping people receive more energy across the world. Ift would be more helpful for someone in the United States and someone who speaks English.

Radio Lomé: This is a local radio station in the country’s capital of Lomé, the radio is in French and has a variety of topics from sports to politics. This radio station is run by the state so it could have some biases towards the government. The website for the radio station is slightly confusing but the radio station seems to be popular across the country. The weakness of this radio station is that it is state-run and could be spreading false information across the country. The strength would be that it seems very accessible, and it is on every day for a long period of time. I think their biggest objective is to spread a variety of information and to influence others through many types of topics.

You can access the source here: Togo Radio Stations – Listen Online (streema.com)

This could be a really good resource for those who want to have a more intimate understanding of information that is available to the Togolese people and what can influence their decisions. It can also be a good way to understand their culture because radios talk about things that seem to be trending in the area.

Radio Maria Togo: This is a broadcasting radio in Togo that focuses on providing Catholic Christian news to the Togolese people. It is part of the Radio Maria broadcasting system that works all over the world. This radio station is in French and it is on every day of the week. From what I can hear, it plays Christaian music and reads verses from the Bible. I do not see any weaknesses of this radio station but I do think a strength is their ability to switch from music to verses.

You can access the source here: Radio Maria Togo – FM 98.0 – Lomé – Listen Online (streema.com)

This radio station could be helpful for those who are trying to understand how religion works in Togo. It could also be good for someone who is trying to find new Christian music to listen to or someone who is just interested in Christianity. They would need to understand French since there is not an English version.

Kanal FM: This is a Togolese radio station that talks about news, sports, and music. It has a really great website to access their information and what they previously talked about. It is based in Lome and they speak French on the station. I think a great strength of this station is that they allow you to have access to their past radio segments and that they have a youtube channel for you to access them from. They record their sessions on video so that you could put voices to faces. I think a slight weakness is the wya their website is set up, they have news from 2020 and 2021 at the top of their website and I think that could confuse people if the viewers do not look at the dates. The youtube channel is also a little outdated as well.

You can access the source here: Press Club of 13 04 2023 – MPDD: Gérard Adja expelled from the party – Kanal Fm

I think this station would be great for someone who is a visual learner and likes to watch instead of listen. I think it would be a great station for someone who is trying to learn Togolese French since you can rewind and relisten.

WHO: The World Health Organization is an agency in the United nations that focuses on providing international public health. This website provides statistics about total population, life expectancy, and total expenditures on health as percentage of GDP. It talks about the COVID rate in deaths and confirmed cases. Their website is in English but I am sure that it could be translated to a different language. I think the strength would be the amount of information available for public health sectors.

You can access the source here: Togo (who.int)

I think this website is good for those who are interested in public health and understanding how public health works in the country. It would be a great website for those who speak English and those who are interested in the public health field.

The Crazy Tourist: This is a travel website that is run by freelance writers and journalists across the world who have been to these places. The website about Togo lists places to visit and things to do in these places. I think the weakness of this website is that they could provide a more variety of things for tourists, like food and culture. I think the strength is the set up of the website and the photos that are available for visual people.

You can access the source here: Togo Archives – The Crazy Tourist

I think this website would be great for someone who is interested in traveling to Togo and who is interested in visiting places across the country. It is a good website for people who speak English and those who are interested in all types of nature.

The Africa Report: This website has a variety of information about the whole continent of Africa, and they place a heavy emphasis on sharing impartial news across the continent. The publisher of the site is the Jeune Afrique Media Group, who were founded in Tunisia. The website is primarily in English and speaks on many topics across the African diaspora. Their headquarters are in France so that might also have an influence on the publishing, even though they are big on being impartial. They have many types of topics that they talk about on this website but the biggest one seems to be politics and business. I think their biggest objective is to seem truthful and honest in their work. The website seems very accessible to browse and is very engaging.

You can access the source here: Togo: Kenyan banker Jeremy Awori takes the helm of Ecobank (theafricareport.com)

This can be a great resource for those who want an unbiased opinion on subjects across the continent and the African diaspora. It can also be good for those who want to be informed on topics across the diaspora and the continent.