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President of the Council of Ministers of the Togolese Republic
Emblem of Togo.svg
Emblem of Togo
Fumio Kishida and Faure Gnassingbé before the funeral of Shinzo Abe (1) (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Faure Gnassingbé

since 3 May 2025
Style
Abbreviation PM
Member of
Reports to
Residence Palace of the Goverors
Seat Lomé
Nominator National Assembly
Appointer President
convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the National Assembly
Term length At the pleasure of the president
Six years,
renewable indefinitely
Constituting instrument Constitution of Togo (2024)
Formation
  • 27 April 1960 (as Prime Minister)
  • 3 May 2025 (as President of the Council of Ministers)
First holder

The president of the Council of Ministers is the person who leads the government of Togo, a country in West Africa. This job is like being a prime minister, and that was its official name for a long time.

This leader is the head of government, which means they are in charge of running the country day-to-day. The president of the Republic has a role that is mostly for ceremonies and official events.

The president of the Council of Ministers is chosen by the president of the Republic. However, they must have the support of most members of the National Assembly, which is Togo's parliament. They can serve for terms that are up to six years long.

So far, fourteen people have had this important job. Thirteen were men, and one was a woman. One person, Edem Kodjo, served two different times. The current leader is Faure Gnassingbé, who took office on May 3, 2025.

History of the Office

The role of Togo's government leader has gone through some big changes over the years.

A Power Struggle in 1991

In 1991, a new prime minister named Joseph Kokou Koffigoh was chosen. But soldiers who were loyal to the president at the time, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, tried several times to remove him from power.

  • First, soldiers took over the radio and TV station and demanded that Koffigoh quit.
  • A week later, they tried to capture him, which led to protests.
  • Later that year, soldiers surrounded Koffigoh's home in the capital city, Lomé. They wanted a new government.

Eventually, the soldiers captured Koffigoh. After this, a new government was formed. Koffigoh was still the prime minister, but he had less power than before.

Big Changes in 2024

In 2024, Togo's government announced a new constitution, which is the main set of rules for how a country is run. This new constitution changed Togo from a presidential system to a parliamentary system.

This change made the president's job mostly ceremonial. It gave more power to the head of government, whose title was officially changed to president of the Council of Ministers. The new rules also set the term length for this role to six years.

These changes happened on May 3, 2025. Faure Gnassingbé, who had been the president of the Republic, became the first president of the Council of Ministers. This meant he stayed in charge of the country's government. A new president of the Republic, Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, was then chosen by the parliament for the ceremonial role.

What Does the Leader Do?

The president of the Council of Ministers has many important duties.

  • Leads the Government: This person is the head of the government and guides the work of all the ministers.
  • Works with the President: They are appointed by the president of the Republic. They also sign many of the president's official documents.
  • Gets Parliament's Support: Before starting the job, they must present their plan to the National Assembly and get its vote of confidence.
  • Carries Out Laws: They are responsible for making sure the country's laws are followed.

List of Officeholders

Here is a list of all the people who have served as the head of government in Togo.

Political parties

     Committee of Togolese Unity (CUT)      Coordination of New Forces (CFN)      Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD)      Rally of the Togolese People (RPT)      Pan-African Patriotic Convergence (CPP)      Action Committee for Renewal (CAR)      Union for the Republic (UNIR)

Other factions

     Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party President(s)
Took office Left office Time in office
Prime Minister (1960–2025)
1 Sylvanus Olympio.jpg Sylvanus Olympio
(1902–1963)
27 April 1960 12 April 1961 350 days CUT Himself
Post abolished (12 April 1961 – 27 August 1991)
2 Prime Minister Joseph Koukou Koffigoh.jpg Joseph Kokou Koffigoh
(born 1948)
27 August 1991 23 April 1994 2 years, 239 days CFN Eyadéma
3 Edem Kodjo-Festival international de géographie 2011.jpg Edem Kodjo
(1938–2020)
23 April 1994 20 August 1996 2 years, 119 days UTD
4 Kwassi Klutse in Brussels.jpg Kwassi Klutse
(1945–2024)
20 August 1996 21 May 1999 2 years, 274 days RPT
5 No image.png Eugène Koffi Adoboli
(1934–2025)
21 May 1999 31 August 2000 1 year, 102 days RPT
6 Agbéyomé Kodjo 2012-03-02.jpg Agbéyomé Kodjo
(1954–2024)
31 August 2000 29 June 2002 1 year, 302 days RPT
7 Koffi Sama premier 2004.jpg Koffi Sama
(born 1944)
29 June 2002 9 June 2005 2 years, 345 days RPT
Gnassingbé
Abass
Gnassingbé
(3) Edem Kodjo-Festival international de géographie 2011.jpg Edem Kodjo
(1938–2020)
9 June 2005 20 September 2006 1 year, 103 days CPP
8 No image.png Yawovi Agboyibo
(1943–2020)
20 September 2006 6 December 2007 1 year, 77 days CAR
9 Komlan Mally (cropped).jpg Komlan Mally
(born 1960)
6 December 2007 8 September 2008 277 days RPT
10 Gilbert Houngbo 2010-06-22.jpg Gilbert Houngbo
(born 1961)
8 September 2008 23 July 2012 3 years, 319 days Independent
11 Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu (cropped).jpg Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu
(born 1958)
23 July 2012 10 June 2015 2 years, 322 days CPP
(until 2013)
UNIR
12 Komi Sélom Klassou 24 mars 2017 (cropped).jpg Komi Sélom Klassou
(born 1960)
10 June 2015 28 September 2020 5 years, 110 days UNIR
13 Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé - P060895-274846.jpg Victoire Tomegah Dogbé
(born 1959)
28 September 2020 3 May 2025 4 years, 217 days UNIR
President of the Council of Ministers (2025–present)
14 Fumio Kishida and Faure Gnassingbé before the funeral of Shinzo Abe (1) (cropped).jpg Faure Gnassingbé
(born 1966)
3 May 2025 Incumbent 90 days UNIR Savi de Tové

Timeline

This timeline shows how long each person served as the head of government.

Faure Gnassingbé Victoire Tomegah Dogbé Komi Sélom Klassou Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu Gilbert Houngbo Komlan Mally Yawovi Agboyibo Koffi Sama Agbéyomé Kodjo Eugene Koffi Adoboli Kwassi Klutse Edem Kodjo Joseph Kokou Koffigoh Sylvanus Olympio

See also

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