The University of Lomé (french: Université de Lomé; abbreviated UL) is the largest university in

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

. Located in the city of

Lomé Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

, it was founded in 1970 as University of Benin (french: Université du Bénin) and changed its name to the University of Lomé in 2001.

2011 student riots

In May 2011, the government of Togo ordered the indefinite closure of University of Lomé after students started riots demanding better conditions and food. The riots began on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, and escalated through the rest of the week culminating in a clash on Friday between students and police which required the use of

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...

to disperse the roughly 500 rioting students. Authorities stated that the rioters were invading lecture halls, assaulting lecturers and other students, and destroying university property. The university was closed on Friday, May 27, 2011. The head of the institution, Koffi Ahadzi Nonon, stated that the students were upset that the university had introduced a new academic system for which the students were unprepared. On May 26, 2011, the

Embassy of the United States The United States has the second most diplomatic missions of any country in the world after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as observer state Vatican City and non-member countries Kosovo a ...

in Lomé, Togo, issued a warden message to U.S. citizens in Togo to avoid the university campus area until the riots had ceased and stating that tear gas may have been used on May 25, against the demonstrators. On June 6, an agreement between the university and the students was reached as students affirmed their commitment to the new LMD academic system and that the university would improve the students' living conditions. On June 15, the head of student organization, the Movement for the Development of Togolese Students or MEET, was arrested for attempting to incite possible violent resistance. The head of Hacam — another student organization — condemned the actions of the head of MEET. On July 8, students and government representatives signed a formal agreement allowing current students to continue on the classic academic system or switch to the LMD system at their option and which stated that the government would invest 2.4 billion CFA francs (roughly US$4,800,000) into the construction of new lectures halls and versatile teaching blocks at the University of Lomé and the University of Kara.

Alumni

Gilbert Houngbo Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo (born 4 February 1961) is a Togolese politician and diplomat who was Prime Minister of Togo from September 2008 to July 2012.

served as

Prime Minister of Togo This is a list of prime ministers of Togo since the formation of the post of Prime Minister in 1960, to the present day. A total of thirteen people have served as Prime Minister of Togo – twelve men and one woman. Among them, one person, Edem ...

from 2008 until his resignation in 2012 and earned his Master of Business Administration at the University of Lomé. * Yawo Adomayakpor, Togo's ambassador to the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, graduated from the University of Lomé. * Augustin Koffi Winigah attended the University of Lomé, and earned his master's degree in law & development studies. *

Adolé Isabelle Glitho-Akueson Adolé Isabelle Glitho-Akueson (born 4 May 1949) is a Togolese entomologist who is Professor of Animal Biology at the University of Lomé. She is the chair of UNESCO's "Women, Science and Sustainable Water Management in West Africa and Central Af ...

, Professor of Animal Biology. * Kétévi Adiklè Assamagan, African American engineer and physicist at

Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base and Japanese internment c ...

References

External links

University of Lomé
{{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Lome Educational institutions established in 1970 Universities and colleges in Togo Buildings and structures in Lomé