Property
Code foncier et domanial 2018 unifying a fragmented land regime
Loi n° 2018-005 consolidated colonial-era and post-independence land instruments into a single code, recognising customary rights and providing for their conversion to registered title through a defined procedure.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Land registration is administered centrally; the Tribunal de première instance hears title disputes.
- Deadline — Confirmation of customary rights: application within the procedure set by the 2018 Code
- Deadline — Registration of title: through the Office Togolais des Recettes land services
Governing law
- Loi n° 2018-005 du 14 juin 2018 portant Code foncier et domanial
- Décret n° 2019-108 portant modalités d'application du Code foncier
In practice
Before 2018 Togolese land law was spread across French colonial decrees, a 1974 ordinance and later instruments that did not fit together, producing competing claims to the same parcel. The 2018 Code's contribution is consolidation and an express procedure for recognising customary holdings, though the backlog of overlapping historic claims in and around Lomé remains substantial.