Togo is situated in West Africa, bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north, with its southern boundary on the Gulf of Guinea. Refugees in Togo originate predominantly from neighbouring and regional contexts, including Ghana and the Central African Republic, as well as from the Sahel, where recent insecurity has driven arrivals. These individuals reside primarily in urban and peri-urban host communities around Lomé and in border areas, accessing housing and public services under civil-residency provisions rather than within formal camps. 

The State acceded to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in 1977, yet domestic legislation does not provide a comprehensive asylum framework. No law expressly establishes national procedures for refugee-status determination or appeal. Instead, a coordination mechanism known as the National Coordination for Refugee Assistance refers persons of concern to UNHCR’s regional office for eligibility assessment and recognition under UNHCR’s mandate. In August 2016, Law N° 2016-021 introduced Article 21, which exempts asylum-seekers and refugees arriving directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened from criminal sanctions for irregular entry and affirms the absence of immigration detention for these groups. Although this represents a positive procedural safeguard, no implementing regulations have codified formal interview procedures or an independent review mechanism at the national level.