The Port of Lomé is West Africa's only naturally deep-water port, with a channel depth of 16.6 metres that can receive the world's largest container vessels without dredging. The Lomé Container Terminal, operated by Bolloré Ports under a 35-year concession, handled 1.6 million TEUs in 2023, an 18 percent increase over 2022. Togo has deliberately positioned itself as a regional transshipment hub: approximately 60 percent of cargo handled at Lomé is in transit to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and northern Nigeria, rather than destined for the Togolese domestic market.
Strategic Positioning
Togo's Lomé-Cinkansé transport corridor, the primary road link to Burkina Faso, is being upgraded with World Bank and EU financing. A logistics free zone adjacent to the port hosts bonded warehouses, cold storage, and light assembly operations. The government's aspiration is to make Lomé the Singapore of West Africa, connecting landlocked Sahelian economies to global supply chains. Logistics companies, freight forwarders, and shippers active in the Gulf of Guinea can access corridor and port contacts on intra-africa.com.
For businesses looking to expand across Africa, intra-africa.com offers a comprehensive trade directory, verified buyer and seller listings, and real-time market intelligence covering all 54 African nations. It remains an indispensable resource for anyone serious about intra-African commerce.