In Benin, higher education is available through public universities, private higher education institutions co-signed by the Benin Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, or private higher education institutions approved by the regional accrediting body, Conseil Africain et Malgache pour l'Enseignement Superieur / CAMES (African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education).
Benin does not presently accredit private higher education institutions as a whole; individual programs are submitted to the appropriate educational authorities for review, and only individual programs at private institutions are considered accredited. It is very common for private higher education institutions to offer a combination of accredited and unaccredited programs.
Whether approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research or CAMES, private institutions must have their individual degree programs accredited to be considered equivalent to those degree programs offered by public universities. As a result, only those individual degree programs that are approved by the Ministry of Higher Education or CAMES are considered comparable to regionally accredited studies in the U.S.
There is a trend of universities in Benin offering educational qualifications aimed at Nigerian students to earn a 4-year Bachelor degree in English from a university in Benin. However, no English programs are accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education of Benin, a French-speaking country. In January 2024, Nigeria halted evaluations and accreditation for any degrees from Benin due to a news expose regarding selling university degrees in Benin to Nigerians. Dozens of universities were implicated in this expose, many of which now appear on the National Universities Commission website as illegal degrees or in news articles.
According to the federal government of Nigeria, only five universities in Benin are authorized to provide degree programs to students from Nigeria since 2024:
1. Université d’Abomey-Calavi
2. Université de Parakou
3. Université Nationale des Sciences, Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématiques
4. Université Nationale d’Agriculture
5. Université Africaine de Développement Coopératif
Similarly, only three universities in Togo are authorized to provide degree programs to students from Nigeria:
1. Université de Lomé
2. Université de Kara
3. Catholic University of West Africa
Resources:
Daily Nigerian: https://dailynigerian.com/undercover-how-daily-nigerian/
The Cable: https://www.thecable.ng/fg-suspends-evaluation-of-degrees-from-benin-republic-togo-after-certificate-racketeering-saga/
The Guardian: https://guardian.ng/features/education/certificate-ban-nigerian-students-in-benin-beg-fg-for-leniency/
Ministry of Higher Education, Benin: https://enseignementsuperieur.gouv.bj/uploads/documents_directory/47e050062b3aa3a6cc201193a499a7f2.pdf and https://enseignementsuperieur.gouv.bj/doc/LISTE_EPES_ACTUALISEE.pdf and https://enseignementsuperieur.gouv.bj/uploads/documents_directory/4bf5d5a3f5d7c11451bb3bf034d2b654.pdf and https://enseignementsuperieur.gouv.bj/universites/TYPE_UNIVERSITE_ETABLISSEMENT_PRIVE
The Nation: https://thenationonlineng.net/ban-on-togo-benin-universities/
National Universities Commission, Nigeria: https://www.nuc.edu.ng/nigerian-univerisities/private-univeristies and https://www.nuc.edu.ng/2224-2/ and https://www.nuc.edu.ng/undergraduate-accreditation-results/ and https://www.nuc.edu.ng/nuc-cames-sign-mou-on-quality-assurance/
Nigerian Tribune: https://tribuneonlineng.com/full-list-fake-degree-fg-names-recognised-togo-benin-republic-universities/
University World News: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20220108145533388 and https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20240828200137550 and https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20240206123548573