LOME: Diplomatic talks and visits by experts are gathering pace in Togo as the former French colony looks to follow another Francophone nation and join the Commonwealth. Rwanda joined the 52-member bloc in 2009, 14 years after Portuguese-speaking Mozambique became the first member never to have had a past link to Britain. Togo, which is home to some seven million people, first began the process of applying for Commonwealth membership in 2014. In February and June this year, experts met members of institutions including the constitutional court, electoral commission and human rights body to evaluate Togo’s bid. Published in Daily Times, July 28th , 2017.