Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lomé (Agenzia Fides) – On July 5, the new Catholic University of Togo was officially opened. The Université Catholique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest-Unité du Togo (UCAO-UUT) has two locations, one in Sanguera, on the northwestern outskirts of Lomé, and another in Tsevie, in the Prefecture of Golfo. For now, only the first location is open. The one in Tsevie will soon be opened to the public. When the two are open, they will have a capacity of 5,000 students.
The Catholic University of Togo specializes in teaching Information Technology, a subject that was requested by the local government. “In a globalized world, where competence is harder in comparison to the access to information, the leading role of the sciences and technology and various applications are a sure bet for the progress of the nation,” said the Minister for Higher Education, Messan Adimado Aduayom.
The Catholic University of Togo forms a part of a larger Catholic academic institution, the Université Catholique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (UCAO), which is present in various western African countries. In 2006, the Catholic Conference of Bishops of Western Africa (CERAO) decided to open Catholic campuses in its member-countries, each one specialized in a specific area of study. The University of Benin (in Cotonou) is specialized in agriculture and electronics, the one in Burkina-Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso) in nutritional sciences, the one in Ivory Coast (Yamoussoukro) in medicine, the one in Mali (Bamako) in education, the one in Guinea (in Conakry) in political science, and in Senegal (in Ziguinchor, Casamance) in arts, economy, and business management.
The other two Catholic Universities are in Ivory Coast and Senegal. The Université Catholique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest seeks to promote: “a Christian culture, at both an individual and collective level; a continual reflection at the light of the Catholic faith, on the most recent discoveries in science, to which it hopes to contribute; fidelity to the Christian message; the institutional commitment to be at the service of the People of God and the human family on their journey towards the transcendent.”
The university is open to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, with the condition that respect for its Catholic identity is maintained. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 16/7/2008)
