• Nearly half of spending directed to social programs amid growth, financing pressures

• Lawmakers debate sustainability and external financing as bill moves to Senate

Togo’s parliament on Tuesday approved the 2026 state budget on first reading, setting total spending at 2.751 trillion CFA francs ($4.87 billion).

Finance Minister Georges Barcola presented the budget, which represents a 14.8% increase from 2025 at a time when several countries in the region are tightening fiscal policy.

The initial draft submitted to lawmakers projected revenue and expenditure of 2.7405 trillion CFA francs. Changes introduced during the Finance Committee’s review were limited, amounting to about 11 billion CFA francs, and they did not alter the overall framework of the budget.

The government describes the budget as “realistic” and says it is aligned with commitments in the roadmap for the institutional transition launched in 2024.

Nearly half of all spending, or 48 percent, will go to social programs, according to parliamentary documents. The government says the focus on education, health, water and energy access, and social protection is intended to consolidate recent gains and support domestic demand in a global environment characterized by slower growth and high financing costs.

While officials say they are working to improve domestic revenue collection, some lawmakers remain concerned about the budget’s long-term sustainability. The opposition, although a minority, pointed to the country’s continued reliance on external financing to balance the budget, a recurring issue in debates over Togo’s financial resilience.

Authorities defend a strategy aimed at gradually reducing the use of non-concessional loans. They argue that higher spending is driven by social priorities and by continued investment to modernize public infrastructure and support economic growth, which is projected to remain above the regional average according to government forecasts.

Following this first reading, the budget bill will now be examined by the Senate, as required under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic.