Core area “Health, social protection and population dynamics” Improving services, protecting mothers

Germany's activities in the health sector focus on reducing maternal and newborn mortality and improving public health, especially in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Support is being provided to health system institutions at all levels.

A further goal that is being pursued is improved health sector resilience against external shocks such as pandemics, and increased disease burdens in the context of climate change. For example, over 100 medical facilities are now using a health sector quality improvement approach that Togo and Germany have developed jointly. This has given about 240,000 women of reproductive age improved access to quality health services.

The geographical focus of Togolese-German cooperation is on the regions of Kara and Centrale. Activities are currently being expanded to the northernmost region, Savanes. The cooperation programme focuses on the following aspects:

• Training

Systematic training is being provided for health personnel on topics such as quality management, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and infection prevention and control. The cooperation programme also supports the provision of basic training at schools for midwifery and obstetrical nursing. In cooperation with midwifery schools, an internship programme is being implemented.

• Infrastructure

Construction, rehabilitation and equipment of centres for obstetric emergency care (soins obstétricaux et néonataux d'urgence, SONU)

• Communication

Many people in Togo do not know enough about the services offered by the healthcare system. The government, with support from Germany, therefore developed a comprehensive communication strategy. It targets important players within society, for instance mothers' and fathers' clubs and community leaders. Moreover, it relies on media and other forms of broad-based communication such as cultural events and film presentations. The campaign includes education of women and men about sexual and reproductive and health and rights. In the region of Savanes, one focus of the programme is on preventing and addressing gender-based violence.

• Governance

In order to make sure that the activities will have a lasting impact, the German Development Ministry assists Togo's Health Ministry in organising, drafting and implementing its strategies, and also in preparing the health system for the impacts of climate change and applying for international climate finance.

• Pandemic prevention and response

In the past few years, the German Development Ministry (BMZ) has supported its partners in Togo in containing the COVID-19 pandemic through improved diagnostics and communication and immunisation campaigns. In order to facilitate effective pandemic management in the future, a modern isolation and treatment centre was built in Kara and provided with equipment, and Germany has supported the government's efforts to develop crisis response plans.

Over the last ten years, the uptake of family planning methods has risen by nearly 7 percentage points, reaching over 24 per cent in 2025. However, the availability of family planning products and access to them are still limited, especially in rural areas, and differences between the various regions are huge.

In the health sector, Togo also benefits from a regional project that supports the ECOWAS countries in giving greater attention to the interdependencies between human, animal and ecosystem health (One Health) and working together more closely on pandemic prevention. This support includes the development of a digital early warning system for pandemics.