Lighthouses of Togo

Togo (officially the Togolese Republic, République togolaise in French), is a small nation on the east side of Ghana in West Africa. Togo became a German colony during the 1880s, during the great European scramble for African colonies. French and British forces took the territory in 1914 in the early days of World War I. Most of German Togo, including all of the coast, was assigned to France after the war; the remaining part of the colony was taken over by Britain and is now part of Ghana. French Togo became independent as the Togolese Republic in 1960.

Togo's short coastline is about 80 km (50 mi) long. The capital, Lomé, is also the major port.

French is the official language in Togo, along with two indigenous languages. The French word for a lighthouse, phare, is often reserved for the larger coastal lighthouses; a smaller light or harbor light is called a feu (literally "fire," but here meaning "light") or a balise (beacon). In French île is an island, cap is a cape, pointe is a promontory or point of land, roche is a rock, récife is a reef, baie is a bay, estuaire is an estuary or inlet, détroit is a strait, rivière is a river, and havre is a harbor.

Aids to navigation in Togo are maintained by the Port Autonome de Lomé.

Special thanks to Jürgen Klinksiek for providing the photos by Steffen Neumann shown on this page.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.

General Sources
World of Lighthouses - Togo
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - Togo and Benin
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Afrikanische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Togo.


Lomé Light, October 2015
photo copyright Steffen Neumann, courtesy of Jürgen Klinksiek; used by permission

Lighthouses
Kpémé
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white light occulting twice every 6 s. Light mounted atop a metal structure at the end of a long pier. No photo available but Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Kpémé is a port for the shipment of phosphate from nearby mines. The pier extends about 1200 m (3/4 mile) into the sea. Located about 25 km (15 mi) east of Lomé. Site and tower closed. Admiralty D3176; NGA 24948.
* Baguida (2?)
Date unknown (between 1967 and 1977). Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white or red light, depending on direction, occulting once every 3 s. 34 m (112 ft) triangular skeletal tower. Steffen Neumann's photo is at right and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The light was formerly described as a square skeletal tower with gallery. Baguida is a historic town, the first colonial capital of German Togo, about 13 km (8 mi) east of Lomé. Located on the north side of the main (N2) highway in Baguida about 5 km (3 mi) northeast of Lomé harbor. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS TOG-001; Admiralty D3173; NGA 24944.
* Lomé Directional
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); white, red or green light depending on direction, pattern unknown. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) tower (no description available). No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light guides ships in the narrow dredged approach channel. Located northeast of the harbor in Lomé. Site appears open, tower closed. Admiralty D3173.5.
Lomé Jetée Est
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); green light occulting once every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted green. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south (main) breakwater at the Port of Lomé. Site status unknown. Admiralty D3174.2; NGA 24936.
Lomé Jetée Ouest
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red light occulting once every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted red. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south (main) breakwater at the Port of Lomé, about 8 km (5 mi) east of downtown. Site and tower closed. ARLHS TOG-002; Admiralty D3174; NGA 24932.
* Lomé (4)
Date unknown (between 1967 and 1977; station established about 1903). Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) round mushroom-shaped concrete water tower topped by a lantern. The tower is unpainted gray concrete; lantern painted white with a red roof. Steffen Neumann's photo is at the top of this page and Google has a satellite view. It is possible that the lantern and lens are from the third lighthouse, the skeletal tower pictured by Lighthouse Explorer (Huelse has the same view) and in a historic photo from Lightphotos.net. There are many water towers carrying navigation lights, but few are as striking as this lighthouse. Located in the harbor area on the east side of Lomé. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS TOG-003; Admiralty D3171; NGA 24928.

Baguida Light, Baguida, October 2015
photo copyright Steffen Neumann, courtesy of Jürgen Klinksiek
used by permission
* Lomé Cathédrale (feu postérieur)
Date unknown. Inactive. During the 1930s and 1940s a rear range light was shown from the northwest tower of the Cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur de Lomé. Building painted white with orange-brown trim. Lightphotos.net has a photo, a 2017 photo is available, Paul Locke has a historic postcard view, Huelse also has a postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The front light was on a metal tower on the wharf. The purpose of the range was to define the limit of the area in which ships were permitted to anchor off the city. Located in downtown Lomé. Site open, tower closed.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Benin | West: Ghana

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Posted September 12, 2005. Checked and revised April 6, 2024. Lighthouses: 7. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.