Togo

With a surface area of 56,790 km², Togo is one of the smallest countries on the African continent. Although land legislation is still influenced by the colonial legacy, one of the distinctive features of the Togolese system is the recognition of customary rights. Unlike other African cities, the inhabitants of the capital Lomé gained access to property very early on. Although Togo has one of the highest rates of agricultural expansion in West Africa, large-scale land acquisitions are a marginal phenomenon and plantation farming remains dominated by smallholders.