What role for the French language in Togolese society? · Global Voices
Jean Sovon

Photo of the entrance of the French Institute of Togo (Lomé). Screenshot from Hodin Senyon's YouTube channel. Fair use.
Due to its colonial past with France, Togo adopted French as its official language in 1960, a fact enshrined in Article 3 of the country's constitution. But what place does French now have in Togo’s multifaceted linguistic landscape?
Togo's colonial history witnessed the introduction of several Western languages: Portuguese, German, English, and French. These languages made their way to  Togolese shores from the time of the slave trade in the 18th century through the colonization era (1884–1960), yet none were officially adopted until the late 20th century. Within the country, over 50 local languages spread across the entire territory are spoken by a population exceeding nine million inhabitants. Since 1975, the constitution has acknowledged Ewe (belonging to the Niger–Congo language family) and Kabiye (part of the Gur language family) as national languages. Nowadays French is the only language that plays an important role in Togolese society.
In 2018, 40 percent of Togolese spoke French, the language of education and government. In an interview conducted via WhatsApp with Global Voices, the Togolese writer-journalist and poet Ayi Renaud Dossavi explains:
Au Togo, la langue française joue un rôle central dans l'enseignement, la société et les administrations. En tant que langue de travail et principale langue officielle, le français facilite, qu'on le veuille ou non, la communication dans les institutions gouvernementales, les entreprises et les médias, ainsi que dans bonne part de la population. Dans l'enseignement, le français est la principale dès le primaire, ce qui peut parfois poser des défis pour les élèves dont la langue maternelle n'est pas le français.
In Togo, the French language plays a central role in education, society, and administrative bodies. Being the working language and main official language, French, whether one likes it or not, enables communication in government institutions, businesses and the media, as well as with a large segment of the population. In education, French is the primary language from primary school onwards, which can sometimes pose challenges for students whose mother tongue is not French.
Nadège Abiré Boumogue, a young women's rights activist, is delighted that French manages to facilitate communication among the majority of Togolese people despite the country's diversity of local languages. In response to Global Voices, she said:
Le Togo est un pays richement béni par sa diversité des langues, permettant d'identifier chaque clan et ethnie. Toutefois la langue commune que nous avons est le français enseigné à l'école et utilisée dans toutes les administrations. Il est important qu'on puisse garder cette culture pour faciliter la communication entre les Togolais et s'ouvrir au monde extérieur, notamment avec les autres pays francophones.
Togo is a country richly blessed with its diversity of languages, allowing for the identification of each clan and ethnicity. However, French is our common language, taught in schools and used in all administrative institutions. It’s important that we maintain this culture to facilitate communication among Togolese people and open up to the outside world, especially with other French-speaking countries.
She believes that French fills a gap created by the limitations of local languages:
Nous pouvons remarquer aujourd'hui les insuffisances de nos langues majoritairement parlée tel que le mina, le kabyè, le kotokoli, etc… A titre d'exemple, certains influenceurs togolais qui font leur contenu dans les langues locales ne sont pas aussi influents, alors que ceux qui font leurs productions en français arrivent à toucher plus de personnes voir au-delà des frontières togolaises.
Today, we can observe the shortcomings of our predominantly spoken languages such as Mina, Kabyè, Kotokoli, etc. For instance, some Togolese influencers who create their content in local languages do not achieve as much influence, whereas those who produce their content in French reach a broader audience, even beyond Togo’s boundaries.
While there is a desire among some to master French, this language is far from being unanimously accepted in Togolese society. For example, in some government departments, national languages are more frequently used than French.
Folli Herbert Amouzougan, a data analyst and free internet evangelist, passionate about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), describes French as “a frustrating language” due to its enforced nature, making it challenging to learn. In a WhatsApp interview with Global Voices, he explains:
Dans l'enseignement, il y a peu de Togolais qui maîtrisent vraiment le français car ce n'est pas une langue maternelle. Il y a des diplômés qui ont du mal à s'exprimer. Dans la société et l'administration, peu de personnes s'expriment en français, tandis que la majorité se sent à l'aise dans la langue maternelle.
In education, few Togolese truly master French because it is not a native language. Some graduates struggle to express themselves. Within both social and administrative contexts, only few individuals use French to express themselves, as most are at ease with their mother tongue.
Aimé Gavor, a history and geography teacher, believes that the decline in education standards impacts the proficiency of spoken French in Togolese society. The educator links this to the country’s literacy rates (33 percent for men compared to 59 percent for women):
La langue française est moins parlée au vu du taux d'analphabétisme au Togo . Ceux qui sont instruits arrivent aisément à la parler et la comprendre, et s'en servent comme outil de travail. Mais ces dix dernières années, le niveau de ceux qui parlent la langue française a considérablement baissé, que ce soit dans l'enseignement, les administrations. On remarque donc une primauté de la langue maternelle car plus accessible et mieux maîtrisée. En conséquence, ça agit sur le niveau de travail des élèves, dans la société. Pire, celui qui essaie, chaque fois, de s'exprimer en français est mal vu.
Considering the literacy rates in Togo, French is spoken less. Those who are educated find it easy to speak and understand it, and use it as a work tool. However, in the last ten years, the proficiency of those who speak French has dropped markedly, in both the educational sector and administrative departments. And so, we notice that the native language will predominate because it is more accessible and better mastered. As a result, this impacts students’ work level in society. Worse, those who try to express themselves in French are often looked down upon.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi concurs:
Cependant, la maîtrise du français reste essentielle pour accéder à l'enseignement supérieur et aux opportunités professionnelles, en dépit de l'importance grandissante accordée à l'anglaise (le 25 juin 2022, le pays a adhéré au Commonwealth). Dans la société, le français reste aussi largement utilisé dans les échanges formels et informels, bien que les langues nationales comme le mina ou encore le tem et le kabyè soient d'un poids culturel et social importants.
Mastery of French is still crucial for higher education and career prospects, even with the growing significance of English (Togo became a member of the Commonwealth on June 25, 2022). In society, French also remains widely used in both formal and informal exchanges, although national languages like Mina, Tem, and Kabyè carry significant cultural and social weight.
The journalist, writer, and poet also acknowledges the predominance of local languages over French:
La relation vis-à-vis du français reste donc ambivalente, quand on compare le contexte administratif, avec l'usage courant dans la vie de tous les jours, où le mina (surtout le dialecte parlé à Lomé), prédomine.
Therefore, the relationship with French remains ambivalent, especially when comparing the administrative context with everyday use, where Mina (the dialect particularly spoken in Lomé) prevails.
Since September 1922, from preschool and primary levels to higher education, French has remained the language of education in the country. English was only introduced into the education system at the beginning of the 2023–2024 academic year.
In the country, French remains the language of the media. Most of the information is conveyed in French, particularly in print and online media. However, on television channels and radio stations, some programmes are broadcast in national languages (Ewe and Kabyè) and in English.
At a time when the use of French is growing worldwide, particularly in Africa, it must be recognized that Togo’s accession to the Commonwealth could diminish the impact of French in the country. Today, the majority of Togolese people place greater importance on learning and practicing English, which remains the most widely spoken language in the world.