Omar Bongo University
Omar Bongo University (French: Université Omar Bongo) is a public university which was founded as the National University of Gabon in 1970. It was renamed in honor of President Omar Bongo in 1978. It is based in Libreville, and was the country's first university. It is Gabon's largest university and around 30,000 students are enrolled there (2020).[1]
Université Omar-Bongo | |
Former name | Université nationale du Gabon |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1970 |
| Rector | Mesmin-Noël Soumaho (since 2020) |
Academic staff | ~500 |
| Students | 34,000 (2021) |
| Location | , Gabon |
The university is under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education.[2]
History
The Omar Bongo University has been the epicenter of manifestations and riots since the early 2000s.[3]
In 2010, the university was in an advanced state of deterioration: swamps and weeds had spread all over the campus where reptiles inhabited, and maggots covered the dorms' floors. In 2010, the Minister of Education Séraphin Moundounga launched a project of renovation but the African Development Bank never backed up the initiative, leaving the university in an advanced state of degradation.[4] In 2020, the state of the campus was still deteriorated : Old buildings, obsolete computers, no wifi network.[1] In February 2020, the dean of the university Marc-Louis Ropivia resigned.[5] In August 2020, the university announced some renovation work aiming to clad the external walls of the campus' buildings, a work that had already been done in 2013.[6] The university was designed to host 8,000 students, but 30,000 to 40,000 students are enrolled, which causes a great stress on the infrastructures and the quality of the education.[7] The library only has 200 seatings (2020).[8] In 2019 a large building on campus called the "bunker", which was supposedly a rogue haunt, was demolished.[9] However, the drug dealers moved from the "bunker" to the dorms to pursue their business on campus.[10]
In March 2019,the campus' cafeteria reopened after several months of renovationand with an innovation : the meals can be purchased only with mobile cash.[11] In June 2019, the Portuguese Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation donated 5000 books to the university.[12]
In April 2021, following the COVID-19 pandemic in Gabon, the university announced that registrations for the next year will be exclusively online.[13]
References
- (in French) Yves Laurent Goma, Gabon: l'université Omar-Bongo n'attire plus les étudiants, Rfi.fr, 17 August 2020
- (in French) Université Omar Bongo, Jeuneafrique.com
- (in French) Pierre Eric Mbog Batassi, Gabon : l’université Omar Bongo, foyer de tensions perpétuelles, Afrik.com, 21 April 2012
- (in French) Fourberies financières d’Aurélie Ntoutoume : Séraphin Moundounga livre sa part de vérité, Gabonreview.com, 19 January 2020
- (in French) UOB : Qui sera leprochain recteur ?, Sonapresse.com, 13 February 2020
- (in French) Florent Mbadinga, Gabon : A l’Université Omar Bongo de Libreville, les travaux de rénovation ont démarré, Lalibreville.com, 19 August 2020
- (in French) Henriette Lembet, UOB: d’une capacité de 8000 étudiants à la création à près de 40 000 aujourd’hui, Gabonmediatime.com, 4 November 2020
- (in French) Stevie Mounombou, Bibliothèque de l’UOB : Seulement 200 places pour 35 000 étudiants, Gabonreview.com, 28 October 2020
- (in French) Frédéric Serge Long, Insécurité en Cité U : Le "bunker"de l'UOB par terre, Sonapresse.com, 28 October 2019
- (in French) Alix-Ida Mussavu, Insécurité à l’UOB : Les dealers en maitres des lieux, Gabonreview.com, 16 June 2020
- (in French) Université Omar Bongo : A vos cuillères et fourchettes, Infosgabon.com, 2 March 2019
- (in French) Désiré-Clitandre Dzonteu, Gabon-Portugal : 5000 livres pour l’Université Omar-Bongo, Gabonreview.com, 6 June 2019
- (in French) Rudy Hombenet Anvingui, UOB : Inscription et réinscription uniquement en ligne, Sonapresse.com, 13 April 2021
