The history of the Togolese Flag over the Years

The Togolese flag as we know it today has gone through a few changes over the years.

German Togoland

The Proposed Flag of German Togoland
The Flag of German Togoland (1884 – 1914)

The German black-white-red horizontal tricolor, with the coat of arms at the center, was flown until 1914 when the British and French forced Germany out of the region. 

British Togoland

The Flag of British Togoland (1922 – 1956)

Under French Rule

In 1956, French Togoland became an “autonomous” republic and a new flag was adopted. Instead of the vertical French blue-white-red flag flown between 1922 to 1956, the new flag featured a plain green field with two five-pointed white stars representing the British and French Togoland and the French tricolor in the top left. The Flag of French Togoland was flown from 1957 to 1958.

The flag of French Togoland. (1957-1958)
The Flag of French Togoland. (1957-1958)

Autonomous Togo

Sometime in 1958, the Togolese flag was amended. This updated flag was used until independence in 1960

The Flag of Autonomous Togo (1958 – 1960)

Independent Togo

The Flag of Independent Togo. It was designed by Paul Ahyi in 1960.

The national flag of Togo was designed in 1960 by Paul Ahyi during a contest launched by the future republic. It features five equal horizontal stripes of green alternating with yellow with a red canton bearing a white star. Its dimensions are based on the golden rectangle and the five stripes represent the 5 regions of Togo. The red symbolizes the bloodshed in the fight for independence, the green represents agriculture, the yellow the riches of the land and the white star represents hope.