Togo's CNDS Reconvenes to Strengthen Labor Dispute Resolution

Togo’s National Social Dialogue Council (CNDS) reconvened in Lomé on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, for an extraordinary session focused on reviewing the institution’s activities and adapting to new socioeconomic challenges. Finance and Budget Minister Essowè Barcola attended on behalf of the government. During the meeting, representatives of the government, labor unions and employers are discussing operational challenges facing the council and exploring ways to improve its effectiveness. The talks are intended to strengthen its role in preventing and resolving labor disputes and maintaining social cohesion. The CNDS aims to use social dialogue more effectively to prevent and resolve workplace tensions. The institution has already helped address several disputes, including in the trade sector following an increase in fuel prices, as well as during the 2013 public-sector crisis. The council has also been involved in resolving disputes in the education sector and addressing tensions in the health and trade sectors. The institution now wants to strengthen its effectiveness and adapt its dialogue mechanisms to changing socioeconomic realities. Its president, Kondé Sangbana, said geopolitical instability, accelerating technological advances, climate change and demographic shifts are among the challenges affecting labor markets and society more broadly. He said these developments place greater responsibility on labor institutions such as the CNDS to develop solutions that protect and pr