Flag of Togo

Five horizontal stripes alternating green and yellow, with green at the top and bottom. A red square in the upper hoist corner holds a white five-pointed star.

What the flag means

The constitution describes the flag without giving meanings. The president's office explains green as hope, forests and farming, yellow as natural resources and maturity, red as the blood of those who fought for independence, and the white star as peace and light.

History

The Olympio government launched a design contest after the elections of 27 April 1958. Paul Ahyi, a Togolese artist trained in Paris, shared the prize with an entrant writing as Johnson Jean, and both were paid under a decision of 13 February 1960. The flag was adopted at independence on 27 April 1960.

Ahyi planned the flag as a golden rectangle, about 1:1.618, but no law fixes its shape, and published versions range from 2:3 to 3:5.

Earlier flags of Togo

1956–1960Green field with the French tricolour in the canton and two yellow stars

Flags of Togo's neighbours

Sources

Wikipedia: Flag of Togo
Flags of the World: Togo

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.