Following the Federal Government’s announcement that Togo has only three recognized degree-awarding institutions and about 1,105 students with fake certificates, Prof. Tunde Adeyemi, President of the Centre de Perfectionnement aux Techniques Economiques et Commercial (CPTEC), has contested this information as false.
Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman, during a one-year commemoration of his tenure, revealed findings from a committee investigating certificate racketeering in neighboring countries. The minister stated that only three universities in Togo are officially accredited to award degrees and that any certificates from other institutions are deemed fraudulent.
However, Prof. Adeyemi, along with members of the CPTEC governing council, clarified that Togo actually has over 40 accredited degree-awarding institutions. He attributed the discrepancy to a misinterpretation by the Nigerian government of information from Togo. Adeyemi explained that Togo’s education system is divided into three categories: universities (with faculties/colleges), institutes/centres, and higher colleges, all of which are degree-awarding.
He criticized the Nigerian Ministry of Education for not providing detailed findings or identifying implicated institutions and officials. According to Adeyemi, the committee misunderstood Togo’s education structure, which is similar to systems in other French-speaking countries and various developed nations. The list of over 40 degree-awarding institutions in Togo had been officially provided but appears to have been overlooked.