This article outlines diplomatic relations between India and Togo: recognition and the opening of embassies, visits by leaders, ministers and parliamentarians in both directions, Foreign Office Consultations, and the agreements recorded in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of April 2026.

Overview

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, India and Togo enjoy "cordial and friendly bilateral relations". The brief states that India has recognised the Togolese Republic since it attained independence in 1960. Both countries now have resident embassies; their opening dates are given in the practical guide in this series.

Visits by Togolese heads of state

President Gnassingbe Eyadema paid a State visit to India from 26 to 29 September 1994. It was the first visit by a President of Togo, and the brief says it "opened a new chapter in mutual relations and added an impetus to bilateral cooperation". Earlier, in 1989, President Eyadema had made a brief stopover in Calcutta on his way to China.

Togo signed and ratified the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). At the joint invitation of Prime Minister Modi and French President Macron, President Faure Gnassingbe took part in the International Solar Alliance Founding Conference in New Delhi on 11 March 2018, and held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister.

The India-Africa Forum Summit

Foreign Minister Prof. Robert Dussey led the Togolese delegation to the third India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III) in New Delhi from 27 to 30 October 2015, and had a bilateral meeting with the then External Affairs Minister on 28 October. Ahead of the summit, Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Mohanbhai Kundariya visited Togo on 7-8 July 2015 as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to deliver the invitation to the President and Prime Minister of Togo. He called on Prime Minister Dr. Komi Selom Klassou during the visit.

Ministerial and parliamentary visits from Togo

  • A 14-member Parliamentary delegation, including three Cabinet Ministers, visited India from 29 July to 2 August 2024 to familiarise itself with Indian parliamentary procedures and the functioning of democratic institutions. The brief links the visit to Togo's switch to the Parliamentary model of Government from May 2025.
  • Ms. Cina Lawson, Minister of Public Service Efficiency and Digital Transformation, led a delegation to the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi on 16-20 February 2026.
  • Ms. Malessinani Akaolo, Head of the Division in charge of Disarmament and Peacekeeping Issues in Togo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented Togo at the International Conference on '50 years of the BWC: Strengthening Biosecurity for the Global South', held in New Delhi on 1-2 December 2025.

Visits by Togolese ministers for trade, investment, health, education, energy and defence events are described in the other articles of this guide.

Visits from India

  • Minister of State for External Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan visited Togo on 5-6 September 2019. He called on the President and held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Mines and Energy and the Minister of Digital Economy and Digital Transformation. He also delivered an address at the Diplomatic Club of Lomé and interacted with the Indian community.
  • Minister of State for Defence Dr Subash Bhamre visited Togo in October 2016 to take part in the AU Extraordinary Summit on Maritime Safety and Security.
  • Shri Anand Sharma, MoS, met the President of Togo on 7 March 2007 in Accra, during a visit to Ghana for the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Ghana's independence, and discussed issues of mutual interest.
  • Lok Sabha Speaker Dr. Balram Jakhar visited Lomé in 1985 for the Inter-Parliamentary Conference.

Foreign Office Consultations

A two-member delegation led by Shri Sevala Naik Mude, Additional Secretary (C&WA), visited Togo on 27-28 June 2024 for Foreign Office Consultations. During the visit, on 27 June 2024 in Lomé, the two sides signed an MoU on Foreign Office Consultations. A visa agreement was signed at the same time and is described in the practical guide.

Agreements and MoUs

The brief lists five agreements and MoUs between India and Togo. Besides the MoU on Foreign Office Consultations and Togo's signature and ratification of the ISA Framework Agreement, described above, they are:

  • the MoU between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Togolese Institute of Agronomic Research (ITRA), signed on 11 September 2025, covered in the development article
  • the Cooperation Framework Agreement for the regular supply of rock phosphate, signed in February 2025 between FACT and SNPT, covered in the trade article
  • the Agreement on Reciprocal Visa Exemption for holders of Diplomatic, Official or Service Passports, signed on 27 June 2024 in Lomé, covered in the practical guide

Dialogue mechanisms

The dialogue mechanism it records is the Foreign Office Consultations set up under the 2024 MoU, alongside Togo's participation in India-Africa summits and conclaves and in multilateral events hosted by India, such as the ISA meetings and the 2026 AI Impact Summit.