At low tide on Aného's beach, you can still glimpse metal structures protruding from the sand. These are the final remnants of the German wharf of Petit Popo, an infrastructure that, at the end of the 19th century, was one of the most important on the Guinean coast. Built to compensate for the lack of a deep-water port, it allowed Aného to become a regional commercial hub before being swallowed by coastal erosion.
Why a Wharf?
The Togolese coast is flat and sandy, with no natural harbor capable of accommodating deep-draft vessels. Goods had to be transshipped on pirogues from the beach to ships anchored offshore—a slow, dangerous, and costly process. Each year, piroguiers lost their lives in the violent currents of the Gulf of Guinea while attempting to load or unload ships.
The wharf, a metal pier extending into the sea, solved this problem. Built around 1890 by the German colonial administration, it measured nearly 200 meters long and allowed ships to dock directly. The infrastructure consisted of iron pillars driven into the sand, supporting a wooden platform. Rails allowed small wagons to transport goods between the ship and the mainland.
An Economic Hub
For a decade, the wharf was the beating heart of Aného's economy. Palm oil, cotton, copra, and manufactured goods imported from Europe transited through it. Ships of the Woermann-Linie, the main German shipping company, made regular stops there. The wharf made Aného the primary port of Togoland, ahead of Lomé, and granted Guin merchants direct access to European markets.
Travelers' accounts from the period describe the bustling activity that reigned on the wharf when ships arrived. Porters crowded the platform. Merchants negotiated loudly. Children watched for the arrival of boats from the beach.
Destruction and Legacy
The wharf did not survive the ocean's assaults. Exposed to violent currents, it degraded faster than anticipated. The colonial administration, which had already transferred the capital to Lomé in 1897, did not find it profitable to rebuild it. The wharf was gradually abandoned. Storms washed away the platform, and the pillars sank into the sand.
Today, only a few rusted pillars, visible at low tide, bear witness to its existence. The wharf has become a symbol: of Aného's past greatness, and of the threat coastal erosion poses to the city's heritage. With climate change, these last remnants could disappear within a generation.