The history of Lomé

I. Pre‑Colonial Roots: Between Lagoons and Coastlines

Before Lomé existed as a city in the modern sense, the region that would become its heartland was shaped by centuries of indigenous settlement and economic exchange.

Long before European colonial interests dominated West Africa, the Ewe people (or Éwé) and related ethnic groups had established settlements in the coastal and hinterland regions that now form southern Togo and southeastern Ghana. The Ewe cultivated the richer inland plains, navigated lagoons, and maintained seasonal fishing and small‑scale trade networks long predating European intervention.

The name “Lomé” itself likely developed locally: some indicate it originally referred to an Ewe settlement or grove, possibly derived from terms such as a place of alo trees, though exact linguistic roots vary in interpretation.

II. The Rise of a Trading Hub

By the late 19th century, the area that would become Lomé had begun to evolve from a series of fishing villages or hamlets into a recognizable commercial hub. Traders from different backgrounds — including Afro‑Brazilian, Hausa, Mina, and Europeans — were drawn to the location by its relatively lax customs and its access to coastal trade routes. Because the territory lay just beyond the formal borders of established European colonies like the British Gold Coast (modern Ghana), merchants could trade palm oil, rubber, cotton, and other commodities without paying the heavier tariffs imposed in neighboring colonies.

This informal trading boom started in the 1870s and 1880s, transforming what had been a loose cluster of settlements into a growing market center. Foreign traders established permanent commerce houses, built storage facilities, and made Lomé a node in Atlantic trade long before any formal colonial administration was imposed.

III. Colonial Era Begins: Germany and the Protectorate (1884–1914)

A Protectorate Is Established

The explosive changes that elevated Lomé into an urban capital accelerated sharply in the last decades of the 19th century. In 1884, as European powers partitioned Africa — a period known as the “Scramble for Africa” — the German Empire secured a treaty at Togoville (then a neighboring settlement) that established a protectorate over the territory that would become German Togoland.

This moment marked the formal beginning of colonial rule in what is now Togo, bringing the land into direct competition among European empires. The decision to recognize German authority was influenced by local politics and rivalries and also by the growing pressure of British trading interests from adjacent colonies.

Capital Status and Urban Planning

Within roughly a decade, Germany chose the burgeoning commercial settlement of Lomé as the administrative capital of Togoland in 1897. This decision was pivotal; it shifted the colonial focus away from the older coastal town of Aného and created a planned urban center that would serve administrative, commercial, and logistical roles.

Under German rule, Lomé quickly acquired key infrastructure that shaped its destiny:

Port Construction: In 1904, German authorities built a jetty and port facilities that connected Lomé directly with international sea trade. This development established Lomé as the most important seaport in the colony and opened up regular export flows of agricultural products.
Railway Network: A series of railways was constructed to link Lomé with interior regions. The Lomé–Kpalimé line, begun in 1904 and inaugurated in 1907, moved cocoa and palm products inland and integrated the coastal urban economy with agricultural hinterlands.
Urban Amenities: The Germans laid out streets, installed postal and telegraph systems, and initiated public services such as telephone networks by 1894. Religious institutions — most notably the Sacred Heart Cathedral built from 1901–1902 — became symbols of colonial presence and modern urban life.

Through these investments, Lomé transformed from a loose cluster of traders and fishermen into a structured colonial city with competing quarters: European administrative zones, commercial hubs dominated by foreign firms, and local enclaves where Togolese merchants and workers lived and worked.

Economic and Social Dynamics

Although infrastructure was expanding, German administration also enforced policies that disadvantaged indigenous traders. Discriminatory licensing and taxation often excluded African merchants from the most lucrative areas of trade, forcing many to work under European firms or focus on less profitable channels.

Despite these constraints, a small indigenous bourgeoisie emerged — wealthy coconut plantation owners, local contractors, and export brokers — who played influential roles in urban life and later political developments.

IV. Tumult of War: World War I and the End of German Rule

The peaceful expansion of German administrative and commercial power in Lomé and across Togoland was interrupted abruptly by World War I. In August 1914, British and French forces from neighboring colonies invaded German Togoland. By the end of that month, German forces in the protectorate surrendered.

Togoland was then split: the western part fell under British control (later integrated into the British Gold Coast), and Lomé and the eastern portion came under French military administration. An Anglo‑French agreement in 1919 confirmed French control over Lomé and the coastal railway system, and the League of Nations formalized this arrangement under a French mandate in 1922.

This marked a new colonial phase for Lomé — one driven by French policies rather than German. It was an era of continuity in infrastructure but change in language, administration, and cultural orientation.

V. French Colonial Period: Modernization and Political Awakening (1922–1960)

During the French mandate, Lomé’s development followed new lines that blended colonial priorities with evolving social and political dynamics.

Infrastructure, Services, and Urban Expansion

The French administration made systematic improvements to services and infrastructure in and around Lomé:

Electrification began in 1926, bringing modern utilities to parts of the city.
Drinking water supplies were established in 1940, improving public health and supporting a growing urban population.
Roads and administrative buildings were expanded, and French urban planning reshaped parts of the city to fit metropolitan tastes and colonial governance needs.

These developments improved conditions for European‑settled neighborhoods — and later for middle‑class Togolese — but unevenly benefited the largest segments of the population.

Political Life and Resistance

Unlike many colonial urban centers where African political life remained muted until the 1950s, Lomé developed an early culture of political engagement. In the 1920s, an elective Council of Notables was formed, gathering local leaders and merchants to advise colonial administrations. This gave Lomé one of the earliest platforms for African political activity in French West Africa.

But inequities persisted. The Lomé Women’s Revolt in January 1923 saw market women and city dwellers protest colonial arrests and economic restrictions, demonstrating early resistance against forced authority.

The global economic crisis of the 1930s dealt a blow to Lomé’s prosperity. Business closures, reduced investment, and taxation conflicts sparked further riots in 1933, marking a major political rupture in the city’s socio‑economic history.

By the post‑World War II era, Lomé was both a cultural and political center where nationalist ideas fermenting across Africa converged with local grievances against colonial rule.

VI. Independence and National Capital (1960 Onward)

Togo’s Independence

On 27 April 1960, Togo officially gained independence from France. Lomé, already an established administrative and commercial hub, was proclaimed the nation’s capital. This transition from colonial outpost to sovereign capital brought new prestige and new tasks: building national institutions, hosting international delegations, and shaping a post-colonial identity.

Civic Architecture and Symbols

After independence, Lomé’s urban landscape was updated to reflect national identity:

The Independence Monument, crafted with contributions from Paul Ahyi — a renowned Togolese artist who also designed the national flag — commemorated Togo’s liberation and embodied aspirations of freedom and patriotism.
Historic colonial buildings, including the Palais de Lomé (originally the Governor’s Palace built in 1905), were repurposed as centers of national power.
Expansion of government ministries, public squares, and cultural institutions made Lomé a focal point of political life.

Economic Growth and Port Development

The port remained the economic heart of Lomé. In 1968, modernization produced a deep‑water harbor capable of accommodating larger cargo vessels, boosting exports of phosphate, cocoa, coffee, and cotton. This upgrade transformed Lomé into a regional maritime hub — not just a city of administrative function.

Lomé’s port began serving as a transit point for goods from landlocked neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso and Niger, turning the city into an indispensable node in West African trade networks.

International Diplomacy: The Lomé Conventions

In 1975, Lomé reached global prominence by hosting the First Lomé Convention — a landmark agreement between the European Economic Community (EEC) and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) states. This agreement fostered trade preferences and development aid, positioning Lomé as a diplomatic center on the world stage. Subsequent Lomé Conventions (II, III, IV) reinforced the city’s role in international economic cooperation.

VII. Post‑Independence Politics: Stability and Struggle

Though independence brought institutional autonomy, Lomé — like Togo as a whole — experienced periods of political instability.

Years of Single‑Party Rule

In the decades following independence, Togo’s political landscape was dominated by a pattern of authoritarian leadership. Gnassingbé Eyadéma, coming to power through a 1967 coup, enforced centralization of authority and often suppressed opposition. For decades, Lomé’s streets bore witness to both formal state power and popular undercurrents of resistance against centralized rule.

Toward Multiparty Politics

By the early 1990s, movements for democratization and multiparty systems gained momentum across Francophone Africa — including in Togo. Lomé’s universities, civic groups, and urban classes became engines of political discourse, public assembly, and demands for electoral reforms.

Recent Political Developments

In recent years, Lomé has once again been at the center of political activism and contention. In 2024–2025, constitutional reforms that altered the country’s political structure triggered protests and calls for leadership change in the capital. Demonstrations against perceived attempts to allow indefinite rule by the current leadership have brought thousands into the streets despite a ban on public protest, drawing international attention to Lomé’s role in shaping national governance debates.

VIII. Urban Culture, Markets, and Everyday Life

While colonial buildings and government ministries define part of Lomé’s skyline, the heart of the city beats most strongly in its markets and public spaces.

Lomé Grand Market

At the city’s core lies the bustling Lomé Grand Market, a sprawling nexus of commerce where traders — predominantly women and children — sell spices, fabrics, crafts, and food. This market reflects not just economic activity but social networks, cultural exchange, and daily life rhythms that embody the city’s identity.

Cultural Intersections

Lomé is also known for its diverse religious and spiritual traditions. Near the markets and churches, sites like the Akodessawa Fetish Market attest to deep connections with Vodun (Voodoo) and local spirituality — traditions that have persisted alongside Christian and Islamic practices.

Museums, universities such as the Université du Bénin founded in 1965, and cultural centers like the renovated Palais de Lomé (reborn in recent years as a centre for art and design) highlight Lomé’s evolving cultural scene and its role in celebrating West African creativity.

IX. Architectural Heritage and Modern Identity

Lomé’s architecture stands as a silent testament to its layered history:

Colonial remnants, including the Sacred Heart Cathedral and former governor’s palace, evoke German and French colonial influences.
Post‑independence structures such as the Hotel 2 Février (completed in 1980 as a symbol of national ambition and named after the nationalization of phosphate mining) reflect aspirations of modernization and economic pride.
Contemporary projects and urban expansion shape Lomé’s skyline as a city negotiating heritage and innovation.

X. Conclusion: A City of Continuity and Change

From a fishing settlement and coastal trading post to a colonial capital and independent nation’s heart, Lomé’s history is emblematic of broader African trajectories: encounters with European imperialism, struggles for self‑definition, and ongoing negotiations between tradition and modernity.

Lomé’s roots in indigenous settlement and pre‑colonial trade reveal a city shaped by African agency as much as European ambition. Its colonial transformations under Germany and later France brought infrastructure and forced economic restructuring, but also unintended incubators of political consciousness. Its post‑independence identity reflects the aspirations and challenges of a nation carving its own space amid global economic and political pressures.