Togo vs. Ghana
Government
| Togo | Ghana | |
|---|---|---|
| Country name | conventional long form: Togolese Republic conventional short form: Togo local long form: Republique Togolaise local short form: none former: French Togoland etymology: derived from the Ewe words "to" (river) and "godo" (on the other side) to give the sense of "on the other side of the river"; originally, this designation applied to the town of Togodo (now Togoville) on the northern shore of Lake Togo, but the name was eventually extended to the entire nation | conventional long form: Republic of Ghana conventional short form: Ghana former: Gold Coast etymology: named for the medieval West African kingdom of the same name but whose location was actually further north than the modern country |
| Government type | presidential republic | presidential republic |
| Capital | name: Lome geographic coordinates: 6 07 N, 1 13 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: Lome comes from "alotime" which in the native Ewe language means "among the alo plants"; alo trees dominated the city's original founding site | name: Accra geographic coordinates: 5 33 N, 0 13 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name derives from the Akan word "nkran" meaning "ants," and refers to the numerous anthills in the area around the capital |
| Administrative divisions | 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes | 16 regions; Ahafo, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, North East, Northern, Oti, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western, Western North |
| Independence | 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) | 6 March 1957 (from the UK) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 27 April (1960) | Independence Day, 6 March (1957) |
| Constitution | history: several previous; latest adopted 27 September 1992, effective 14 October 1992 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or supported by at least one fifth of the National Assembly membership; passage requires four-fifths majority vote by the Assembly; a referendum is required if approved by only two-thirds majority of the Assembly or if requested by the president; constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government cannot be amended; amended 2002, 2007, last in 2019 when the National Assembly unanimously approved a package of amendments, including setting presidential term limits of two 5-year mandates | history: several previous; latest drafted 31 March 1992, approved and promulgated 28 April 1992, entered into force 7 January 1993 amendments: proposed by Parliament; consideration requires prior referral to the Council of State, a body of prominent citizens who advise the president of the republic; passage of amendments to "entrenched" constitutional articles (including those on national sovereignty, fundamental rights and freedoms, the structure and authorities of the branches of government, and amendment procedures) requires approval in a referendum by at least 40% participation of eligible voters and at least 75% of votes cast, followed by at least two-thirds majority vote in Parliament, and assent of the president; amendments to non-entrenched articles do not require referenda; amended 1996 |
| Legal system | customary law system | mixed system of English common law and customary law |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah DOGBE (since 28 September 2020) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 22 February 2020 (next to be held February 2025); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Faure GNASSINGBE reelected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE (UNIR) 72.4%, Agbeyome KODJO (MPDD) 18.4%, Jean-Pierre FABRE (ANC) 4.4%, other 5% | chief of state: President Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (since 7 January 2017); Vice President Mahamudu BAWUMIA (since 7 January 2017); the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (since 7 January 2017); Vice President Mahamudu BAWUMIA (since 7 January 2017) cabinet: Council of Ministers; nominated by the president, approved by Parliament elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 December 2020 (next to be held in December 2024) election results: Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (NPP) 51.3%, John Dramani MAHAMA (NDC) 47.4%, other 1.3% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (91 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed, party-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 20 December 2018 (next to be held in 2023) election results: percent of vote by coalition/party - NA; seats by party - UNIR 59, UFC 6, NET 3, MPDD 3, other 2, independent 18; composition - men 75, women 16, percent of women 17.6% | description: unicameral Parliament (275 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 7 December 2020 (next to be held in December 2024) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party (preliminary) - NPC 137, NDC 136, other 1, independent 1; composition - NA |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into criminal and administrative chambers, each with a chamber president and advisors); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the court president) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president appointed by decree of the president of the republic upon the proposal of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, a 9-member judicial, advisory, and disciplinary body; other judicial appointments and judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly; judge tenure NA subordinate courts: Court of Assizes (sessions court); Appeal Court; tribunals of first instance (divided into civil, commercial, and correctional chambers; Court of State Security; military tribunal | highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 13 justices) judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the president in consultation with the Council of State (a small advisory body of prominent citizens) and with the approval of Parliament; other justices appointed by the president upon the advice of the Judicial Council (an 18-member independent body of judicial, military and police officials, and presidential nominees) and on the advice of the Council of State; justices can retire at age 60, with compulsory retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; Circuit Court; District Court; regional tribunals |
| Political parties and leaders | Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yaovi AGBOYIBO] Alliance of Democrats for Integral Development or ADDI [Tchaboure GOGUE] Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [Brigitte ADJAMAGBO-JOHNSON] Democratic Forces for the Republic or FDR [Dodji APEVON] National Alliance for Change or ANC [Jean-Pierre FABRE] New Togolese Commitment [Gerry TAAMA] Pan-African National Party or PNP [Tikpi ATCHADAM] Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP [Edem KODJO] Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development or MPDD [Agbeyome KODJO] Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR [Abi TCHESSA] The Togolese Party [Nathaniel OLYMPIO] Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO] Union for the Republic or UNIR [Faure GNASSINGBE] | All Peoples Congress or APC [Hassan AYARIGA] Convention People's Party or CPP [Edmund N. DELLE] Ghana Freedom Party or GFP [Akua DONKOR] Ghana Union Movement or GUM [Christian Kwabena ANDREWS] Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Henry Herbert LARTEY] Liberal Party of Ghana or LPG [Kofi AKPALOO] National Democratic Congress or NDC [John Dramani MAHAMA] National Democratic Party or NDP [Nana Konadu Agyeman RAWLINGS] New Patriotic Party or NPP [Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO] People's Action Party or PAP [Imoru AYARNA] People's National Convention or PNC [Edward MAHAMA] Progressive People's Party or PPP [Paa Kwesi NDUOM] United Front Party or UFP [Dr. Nana A. BOATENG] United Progressive Party or UPP [Akwasi Addai ODIKE] note: Ghana has more than 20 registered parties; included are those which participated in the 2020 general election |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Frederic Edem HEGBE (since 24 April 2017) chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190 email address and website: embassyoftogo@hotmail.com https://embassyoftogousa.com/ | chief of mission: Ambassador Alima MAHAMA (since 7 July 2021) chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520 FAX: [1] (202) 686-4527 email address and website: info@ghanaembassydc.org https://ghanaembassydc.org/ consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Eric W. STROHMAYER (since 11 April 2019) embassy: Boulevard Eyadema, B.P. 852, Lome mailing address: 2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC 20521-2300 telephone: [228] 2261-5470 FAX: [228] 2261-5501 email address and website: consularLome@state.gov https://tg.usembassy.gov/ | chief of mission: Ambassador Stephanie S. SULLIVAN (since 23 January 2019) embassy: No.24, Fourth Circular Road, Cantonments, Accra, P.O. Box 2288, Accra mailing address: 2020 Accra Place, Washington DC 20521-2020 telephone: [233] (0) 30-274-1000 email address and website: ACSAccra@state.gov https://gh.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; a white five-pointed star on a red square is in the upper hoist-side corner; the five horizontal stripes stand for the five different regions of the country; the red square is meant to express the loyalty and patriotism of the people, green symbolizes hope, fertility, and agriculture, while yellow represents mineral wealth and faith that hard work and strength will bring prosperity; the star symbolizes life, purity, peace, dignity, and Togo's independence note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green, with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; red symbolizes the blood shed for independence, yellow represents the country's mineral wealth, while green stands for its forests and natural wealth; the black star is said to be the lodestar of African freedom note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band |
| National anthem | name: "Salut a toi, pays de nos aieux" (Hail to Thee, Land of Our Forefathers) lyrics/music: Alex CASIMIR-DOSSEH note: adopted 1960, restored 1992; this anthem was replaced by another during one-party rule between 1979 and 1992 | name: God Bless Our Homeland Ghana lyrics/music: unknown/Philip GBEHO note: music adopted 1957, lyrics adopted 1966; the lyrics were changed twice, in 1960 when a republic was declared and after a 1966 coup |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| National symbol(s) | lion; national colors: green, yellow, red, white | black star, golden eagle; national colors: red, yellow, green, black |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Togo dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Ghana dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
Source: CIA Factbook
