• Togo announces unified national geospatial reference system reform

• Government installing benchmarks and CORS stations nationwide

• Professionals must adopt standards within three-month transition period

Togo's government has announced new measures to unify the geographic reference systems used in cartography, urban planning and land management. The reform, officials say, will modernise the country's geospatial infrastructure and improve the reliability of spatial data nationwide.

The measures were unveiled on Monday, March 9, 2026, by Minister of Finance and Budget Georges Barcola and Minister of Territorial Planning and Development Kodjo Adedze.

Under the new framework, geodetic and levelling benchmarks will be installed across the country, alongside a network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS), which will serve as the country's official geospatial reference points. Authorities described the initiative as part of a broader modernisation of Togo's geospatial infrastructure and a reform of the national geographic information system.

All professionals working in the fields of cartography, topography, land registry, urban planning, territorial development and infrastructure will be required to align their work with these official reference systems. "All work must be tied to the official reference systems or risk being rejected," the two ministers stated.

A three-month transition period has been granted to give professionals time to adapt their equipment and working methods to the new geospatial standards.

In the longer term, the reform is expected to improve the compatibility of maps and spatial data across the country, facilitating urban planning, the delineation of residential zones and infrastructure development. It should also contribute to strengthening land tenure security by enhancing the precision with which plots and property titles are geographically located.

The announcement comes just weeks after the creation of the National Geographic Institute of Togo (IGNT), the body tasked with improving the production and reliability of the country's geographic data.