From Government to Campus: Professor Kossivi Hounaké Takes the Helm of the University of Lomé
A Strategic Transition at the Head of UL
The University of Lomé (UL) is ushering in a new era of leadership. On Friday, September 19, 2025, the Associate Professor of Public Law, Professor Kossivi Hounaké, was officially named President of the University of Lomé by the Chairman of the Council, Faure Gnassingbé. The official handover ceremony took place on Saturday, September 20, 2025, marking the start of a mandate expected to bridge academia and public management.
Professor Hounaké succeeds Professor Adama Mawulé Kpodar, who had been in post since August 29, 2023. This change in direction comes at a time when the UL, a flagship institution of Togolese higher education, is engaged in a dynamic of innovation and internationalization.
A Career Combining Legal Expertise and Public Service
Born on December 3, 1972, in Badou, Togo, Kossivi Hounaké is a recognized figure in the Togolese academic and political sphere. His unique profile as a scholar-politician is one of the most notable aspects of this appointment.
Before taking the reins of the campus, he served as Minister Delegate to the Minister of Trade, Crafts, and Local Consumption, a position he held since his appointment on August 20, 2024. This governmental experience, though brief, provided him with valuable expertise in economic and administrative governance—essential skills for leading an institution the size of the UL.
The Pillar of Togolese Public Law
Academically, Professor Hounaké has been an Associate Professor of Public Law since 2015 and is a renowned specialist. Holding the chair of public law at the UL, his expertise covers constitutional law, administrative law, and public international law.
His involvement in recent constitutional debates in Togo has amplified his public visibility, positioning him as a key expert in the analysis and defense of institutional revisions.
His university career is marked by various positions of responsibility, including:
Director of the Institute of Sea Trades (I2M), a key structure for professional training related to the Togolese maritime economy.
Director of the Public Law Center.
This diversified trajectory—from the classroom to the ministerial office, and now to the top of the university—suggests a presidency focused on institutional rigor and pragmatism.
Major Challenges for the New President at the University of Lomé
Professor Kossivi Hounaké inherits an institution undergoing significant transformation, facing several major challenges that will shape his term:
1. Innovation and Youth Employability The UL is actively seeking to align its curricula with labor market needs. Recent initiatives, such as the 2025 Innovation Bootcamp and the TechFuPro program, aim to place innovation and student entrepreneurship at the core of the university's strategy. The new president must consolidate these programs and ensure that graduates, who represent a majority of Togolese youth, become "actors of development" and not "victims of exclusion," as the university has often emphasized.
2. Internationalization and Research The UL is increasing its international partnerships (ERASMUS+ mobility, participation in academic competitions like "My Thesis in 180 Seconds," and structural agreements such as the one with Xuzhou Medical University in August 2025). Hounaké’s challenge will be to sustain this momentum of cooperation and strengthen research funding, particularly in strategic areas like Artificial Intelligence and climate challenges in Africa.
3. Modernization of Governance Backed by his administrative experience and expertise in public law, Professor Hounaké is ideally positioned to optimize the UL's internal governance. This will likely involve addressing issues of logistics, infrastructure, and the continuous improvement of administrative processes to support the student influx (the UL being one of the two main higher education institutions in Togo, along with the University of Kara).
Professor Kossivi Hounaké's appointment marks a pivotal moment. His leadership will undoubtedly be an opportunity to inject new impetus, merging his rigorous academic knowledge with his understanding of the machinery of the State to meet the challenges of Togolese higher education.