THE EMERGENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIALIZED URBAN MARKETS IN ATAKPAME, TOGO

In Atakpame, a crossroads city and major agricultural hub, specialized markets dominate the commercial infrastructure landscape. Established through the Niort-Atakpame sister city partnership as part of an effort to promote agricultural and livestock products, these markets provide organizers with spaces conducive to trade activities. This article therefore aims to analyze the state of development of the specialized markets in Atakpame. The methodology is based on literature review, observations,and field surveys. The study identified the main structures, amenities, and sanitation facilities in the specialized markets, as well as the access routes to them. It conducted interviews with leaders of vendors associations, market management officials (the Technical Services Department (DST) of the Ogou1 municipality and tax collectors), and the head of ADJAN. Finally, it conducted a survey of 344 participants, including 129 vendors and 215 customers, all of whom completed a questionnaire. A form was used to record the facilities installed in the specialist markets. The data was collected using Kobocollect and then analyzed using SPSS software to generate tables and graphs. Field survey results show that all specialized markets are accessible via at least one road, and 84% of these roads are paved. As a result, 97.5% of market operators report that they can easily access the markets.