• Togo, Turkey discuss Lomé-Mersin logistics corridor

• MoU planned to streamline trade, cut transit times

• Bilateral trade exceeds $270 million in 2025

Togo and Turkey are exploring the establishment of a direct logistics corridor between the Port of Lomé and the Port of Mersin, located on Turkey's northeastern Mediterranean coast.

The project was discussed in Lomé over the weekend during talks between Kokou Edem Tengue, Minister Delegate for Maritime Affairs, and Turkey's ambassador to Togo, Muteber Kılıç. A memorandum of understanding is being drafted to formalize the initiative.

"I held a productive working session with H.E. Ms. Muteber Kılıç, Turkish Ambassador to Togo. Our discussions focused on strengthening the maritime partnership, marked by the forthcoming submission of a Memorandum of Understanding by the Turkish side," Tengue said on the sidelines of the talks.

The initiative aims to streamline trade flows, reduce transit times and strengthen the competitiveness of both port platforms. For Ankara, the project is also a means of using Lomé's geographic position to gain easier access to landlocked countries in the hinterland, notably Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.

Mersin is Turkey's leading container traffic port and serves as an interface between Anatolia, Central Asia and the Mediterranean basin. Lomé, for its part, is pressing ahead with its strategy to become a regional logistics hub. Cooperation could also extend beyond the maritime sector to industrial zones, particularly in textiles and energy.

Bilateral trade has risen sharply, from $128 million in 2021 to more than double that figure in 2025.

"With $270 million in trade already, the challenge now is to shift into a higher gear to boost our international competitiveness by creating a direct, high-performance logistics corridor between the Port of Lomé and the Port of Mersin," Tengue said.

R.E.D, with Togo First