Aristide Kawele | May 7, 2026
News Brief
In central Togo, beekeepers are increasing honey production and protecting the environment by adopting modern hives. Akowe Loukou says his output has risen from five to nearly 100 litres per season since 2021, improving his income and supporting his family. Through training and projects like MiKaGo, thousands of producers are learning sustainable methods that avoid bushfires and protect bee colonies. Beekeeping is also replacing harmful activities such as charcoal production, while contributing to forest conservation and biodiversity.
In the early morning, Akowe Loukou puts on his white suit and calmly approaches his beehives lined up beneath cashew trees. Mr. Loukou lifts a frame filled with golden honey. Smiling, he says, “Ever since I started using modern hives, my honey production has soared like never before.”
Mr. Loukou is a beekeeper in Timbio, 16 kilometres northeast of Sotouboua in central Togo. He turned to modern hives to boost his honey production. He explains that previously, with just four traditional clay hives, he barely managed to harvest five litres of honey every season. Today, he produces nearly 100 litres, which he sells at the local market and even in Lomé. Thanks to honey, he earns about $500 US per year. This income allows him to pay his children’s school fees, buy fertilizer for his fields, and save for the future.
It was in 2021 that Mr. Loukou began using modern beehives. He explains that a modern hive is made of wood with removable frames where bees build their comb. This technique makes it easier to harvest honey without destroying the frames or harming the bees. In contrast, a traditional hive is made of clay. Honey is harvested by smoking out the bees, which destroys the brood, kills the bees, reduces production, and can even cause bush fires.
Mr. Loukou received training through a cooperative agricultural project focused on modern beekeeping, of which he is a member. He learned modern methods of hive installation, maintenance, and honey harvesting from project facilitators. Thanks to this training, he has installed 12 modern beehives.
He obtained his beehives through the MiKaGo project, supported by a Swiss veterinary and livestock organization, in partnership with local beekeeping and farmer groups. He also benefited from project support that allowed him to access modern beehives at a subsidized cost through a microcredit system organized with the cooperative.
Like Mr. Loukou, thousands of beekeepers in central Togo are transforming their livelihoods through eco-friendly honey production. By adopting modern hives such as the Kenyan Top-Bar and Langstroth, they are increasing productivity while better protecting their bees.
The Regional Union of Beekeepers of Central Togo brings together more than 2,000 organic honey producers. Since 2019, it has trained beekeepers and supported members in accessing modern hives, equipment, and partner funding.
Bèzéwapéyélé Ali is a beekeeper and member of the Bon succès cooperative, working to protect the environment around Fazao-Malfakassa National Park under the Agricultural Sector Support Program (PASA). It is the largest protected area in Togo, covering 920 square kilometres
Ms. Ali received training through the MiKaGo project, which supports beekeepers in managing small-scale beekeeping businesses, with a focus on modern techniques, production hygiene, processing, and marketing. Through this training, she learned how to run her own beekeeping enterprise and has since moved away from cutting trees and producing charcoal. Today, she earns an income from selling honey and beeswax, which helps her pay for her children’s education. She says, “Bees have become our best allies.”
Senyo Kwami Adzohonou is president of the Interprofessional Council of the Beekeeping Sector in Togo. He explains that the council trains beekeepers in the five prefectures bordering the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park on how to use modern hives to improve profitability while preserving bee colonies. The Council of Beekeeping in Togo also raises awareness about the role of bees. Bees depend on nectar-producing trees. If the forest disappears, honey disappears too. Through awareness efforts, beekeepers become the first guardians of biodiversity.
Mr. Adzohonou adds that in the past, harvesting wild honey often led to tree cutting or bushfires. Today, with training, beekeepers install modern hives in forest areas and take part in reforestation activities. They space hives along elephant migration corridors, which protects crops and reduces human-wildlife conflict. He says, “Bees remind us that the forest feeds us. We no longer cut trees, we plant them.”
Thanks to modern hives, communities in central Togo are generating sustainable income while becoming active stewards of environmental conservation. Bees pollinate, families prosper, and the forest breathes. As he closes his hive, Mr. Loukou concludes, “Honey is born from the forest, and we have a duty to protect it.”
