The University of Lomé (; abbreviated UL) is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

, located in the capital

Lomé Lomé ( , ) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Togo, largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

. It is the country's largest university. It was founded in 1970 as the University of Benin () and adopted its current name in 2001.

2011 student riots

In May 2011, the

government of Togo Politics of Togo takes place in a framework of a parliamentary republic, whereby the president is the head of state and the prime minister is head of government, who is appointed by the president with the parliament's approval. Executive power i ...

ordered the indefinite closure of University of Lomé after students started riots demanding better conditions and food. The riots began on Wednesday, 25 May 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 lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

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, 27 May 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 26 May 2011, the Embassy of the United States 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 25 May, against the demonstrators. On 6 June, 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 15 June, the head of student organisation, 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 organisation — condemned the actions of the head of MEET. On 8 July, 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.

Notable alumni

* Yawo Adomayakpor, Togo's ambassador to the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, graduated from the University of Lomé. * Kétévi Adiklè Assamagan, American engineer and physicist at

Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratories, United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, New York, a hamlet of the Brookhaven, New York, Town of Brookhaven. It w ...

* Adolé Isabelle Glitho-Akueson, Togolese entomologist and Professor of Animal Biology at the University of Lomé *

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.

Prime Minister of Togo The president of the Council of Ministers of the Togolese Republic (, formerly known as the prime minister of Togo (), is the head of government of the Togo, Togolese Republic. Most of the governing authority and executive powers lie in the pre ...

from 2008 to 2012, earned his Master of Business Administration at the University of Lomé.

References

External links

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