University of Parakou

The University of Parakou (UP) is a university located in Parakou, in the northern region of Benin. It is the second public university in the Republic of Benin, following the University of Abomey-Calavi.

In the 2010s, Benin officially had seven public universities, including those in Kétou, Abomey, Lokossa, Porto-Novo, and Natitingou. The latter resulted from the University of Parakou losing its university centers in Djougou and Natitingou.

History
Founded on 2001 as an autonomous national institution (decree n°2001-365), the University of Parakou is a public, scientific, technical, and cultural university with legal personality and financial autonomy.

Organization
UP consists of 11 training entities distributed among faculties, institutes of professional training, and doctoral schools.

=== List of Rectors of the University of Parakou from 2001 to 2014 ===

University Centers
Since 2016, the University of Parakou no longer has university centers. However, within the university, there are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the "Amour et Vie" Center and the Center for Well-being in the Fight Against AIDS (CBELS), which raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and also hepatitis.