Southern Togo Holds Flood Response Drills to Strengthen Community Resilience

Security

Tuesday, 04 November 2025 18:23

Southern Togo Holds Flood Response Drills to Strengthen Community Resilience

(Togo First) - Several districts in Togo’s southern Maritime region are stepping up flood prevention efforts. Late last week, early-action drills were held in roughly 20 communities across the Bas-Mono, Lacs, and Yoto prefectures.

The operation, jointly led by the National Civil Protection Agency (ANPC) and the Togolese Red Cross (CRT), aimed to test the effectiveness of early warning systems and the responsiveness of local crisis committees. It also helped pinpoint coordination gaps among the various actors managing climate emergencies.

“These exercises helped us assess how well emergency committees understand and carry out their roles, and to raise community awareness about prevention and response measures,” said Jean Kékéli Komivi Akrosu, the Togolese Red Cross’s Maritime Regional Coordinator.

The ANPC said the drills are part of efforts to strengthen community preparedness for extreme weather events, which are becoming increasingly frequent in Togo. In response to more intense rainfall and higher flood risks, the government is stepping up efforts to better protect vulnerable areas.

Key projects include the RAINE initiative (“Sanitation Network for Flood Prevention”), which aims to permanently unclog flood-prone neighborhoods in Lomé and its surroundings. Under the WACA Togo Project, modern equipment worth over 500 million XOF was provided to the ANPC and the National Meteorological Agency (ANAMET) last August to reinforce the early warning system.

Togo also operates a national Flood Preparedness and Response Plan (PPR). In 2024, the plan allocated 50 million XOF in public funds, along with 1.69 billion XOF in external aid, primarily for logistics, training of local teams, and community awareness campaigns.

Esaïe Edoh

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