Togolese artist
Paul Ahyi (1930–2010) was the designer of the flag. Ahyi studied art in France and graduated from the
École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in
Paris in 1959 before returning to Togo. The following year, he designed the flag of Togo, which was adopted upon the country's proclamation of independence on 27 April 1960. The design of the flag is outlined in Title I, Article 3 of the
Constitution of Togo, 1992 (2019 revision). It states: The proportions of the flag are not mentioned in the constitution and sources differ as to the exact ratio. American vexillologist
Whitney Smith, writing in the
Encyclopædia Britannica, stated that the width-to-length ratio is approximately 3:5. Polish vexillologist
Alfred Znamierowski meanwhile stated that the ratio is 2:3. It has also been claimed that Ahyi followed the
golden ratio (represented by the Greek letter
phi, 𝜑) when designing the flag, which would make it a
golden rectangle. In other words, its width-to-length ratio would be 1:𝜑, where .
Symbolism The flag uses the pan-African colours of green, yellow, and red, which were adopted by several other African countries upon independence. Its five stripes represent the five
regions of Togo. The office of the
Togolese president gives the following significance to the flag's colours and symbols: green represents forests, agriculture, and hope; yellow represents natural resources, faith, and maturity; red represents the blood shed by those who fought for Togolese independence; and the white star represents peace, intelligence, and light. == Historical flags ==