News Archive

There is, said the author of the article cited below, a widespread lack of awareness about the asbestos hazard in Togo. According to an independent 2024 study, 87.5% of Togolese people had “never heard of this highly carcinogenic mineral…” Many buildings in the country still contain asbestos despite the December 3, 1997 Presidential Decree which prohibited “the use of asbestos-containing materials in public works and buildings.” The use of asbestos and the health and economic consequences of this use remain “largely under-documented” in sub-Saharan Africa. See: L’amiante au Togo, un risque majeur encore largement méconnu [Asbestos in Togo: A Major Risk Still Largely Unrecognized].

Assessing the National Asbestos Hazard

Oct 17, 2025

According to the document cited below, the import, storage & use of asbestos-cement sheets and similar building material were banned in Togo by Decree no. 97-256/PR of December 3, 1997. Notwithstanding the prohibitions, the levels of public and professional awareness of the hazard are low according to the 47-page 2025 monograph entitled: Study Report on Asbestos in Togo by Kodjo Ambroise Troveh & Herman Amewu Dovi. Recommendations were made in the text for measures to: improve the management of in-situ asbestos, centralize knowledge and data collection, provide technical support to decision-makers, implement and monitor prevention and training programs for the construction sector, develop skills and build technical capacity. See: Study Report on Asbestos in Togo.