Université Gaston Berger

What Université Gaston Berger does

Université Gaston Berger (UGB) is a public higher education institution founded in 1990 and headquartered in Saint-Louis, Senegal, operating under the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of the Government of Senegal. The university delivers academic programs across 9 Unités de Formation et de Recherche (UFRs) and 4 university institutes, organized under the LMD (Licence-Master-Doctorat) system aligned with European Higher Education Area standards, serving 16,518 enrolled students from 29 nationalities through undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral tracks spanning humanities, applied sciences, law, health, economics, agronomics, education, and engineering.

The institution's technology and product stack includes the IFOAD (Institut de Formation Ouverte à Distance) online learning platform offering interactive modules, the Centre de Calcul Ousmane Seck (CCOS) student services portal, digital libraries (Bibliothèques numériques), an institutional email system (mail.ugb.edu.sn), and online pre-registration infrastructure. Specialized units include the Institut Polytechnique de Saint-Louis (IPSL) engineering school and the African Centre of Excellence in Mathematics, Computer Science, and ICT (CEA-MITIC). Master's programs in Computer Science cover specializations in data engineering (GDIL) and networks/security/distributed systems (R2SD), with stated curricular coverage of AI, Big Data, IoT, and next-generation networks.

UGB operates as a non-profit state entity with revenue sourced primarily from Senegalese government funding (financing and subsidies), regulated student tuition fees, and international grants/scholarships from the Mastercard Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and the European Union (Erasmus+). The university reaches prospective students through institutional website (ugb.sn), the annual UGB Infos magazine, social media, international colloquia, and partnership networks including referral channels with Erasmus+ partner universities. Strategic direction is shaped by the UGB Strategic Plan 2021-2025, with the institution currently navigating enrollment growth amid a constrained government budget context.

Name

Université Gaston Berger

Legal name

Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis du Sénégal

Website

https://ugb.sn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Université Gaston Berger is a public Senegalese university in Saint-Louis, founded in 1990, delivering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across 9 academic units and 4 institutes to 16,518 students from 29 nationalities, funded primarily by the Government of Senegal and international scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Graduate Schools (Master’s & Doctoral Programs) (EDAHALAD), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• University degree programs
• Distance learning platforms
• Academic research services
• Engineering education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-louis

HQ country

Senegal

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding from the Government of Senegal through the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, providing financing, subsidies for education and research, and national educational programs
2. Student Tuition Fees: Registration fees from students at various levels (undergraduate, graduate, doctoral) as regulated by national decree
3. International Grants and Scholarships: Funding from international foundations (Mastercard Foundation, Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations) and EU programs (Erasmus+)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Université Gaston Berger is a public university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across 9 academic units (UFRs) and 4 institutes under the LMD system. It delivers on-campus education, distance learning through the IFOAD online platform, engineering training via IPSL, and operates the CEA-MITIC African Center of Excellence, supported by digital services including online registration, student portals, digital libraries, and institutional email.

Product overview

Université Gaston Berger (UGB) is a public university in Saint-Louis, Senegal, offering a portfolio of academic programs across 9 Unités de Formation et de Recherche (UFRs) and 4 university institutes, organized under the LMD (Licence-Master-Doctorat) system. Its digital services are built around the IFOAD (Institut de Formation Ouverte à Distance), which operates a Plateforme d'apprentissage en ligne for distance learners, a student services portal (CCOS), digital libraries, institutional email, and online pre-registration. The university also hosts the CEA-MITIC (African Center of Excellence in Mathematics, Computer Science, and ICT), the IPSL engineering school, and an annual publication magazine called UGB Infos.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Institut de Formation Ouverte à Distance (IFOAD) Online Learning Platform
• Institut Polytechnique de Saint-Louis (IPSL)
• Centre d'Excellence Africain en Mathématiques, Informatique et TIC (CEA-MITIC)
• Master Informatique (GDIL & R2SD)
• UFR Sciences Appliquées et Technologie (SAT)
• Préinscription en ligne (Online Pre-registration)
• Portails de Services aux Etudiants (Student Services Portal)
• Bibliothèques numériques (BU Digital Library)
• Service de messagerie institutionnelle (Institutional Email)
• Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 16,518 students enrolled from 29 nationalities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Total EnergiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Convention signed between IPSL (Institut Polytechnique de Saint-Louis) and Total Energies for energy sector cooperation
• University of Cádiz (Spain)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2025Erasmus+ KA 171 scholarship program offering 2 scholarships for 5 months to UGB students
• Government of SenegalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal supporter of UGB through financing, subsidies for education and research, and implementation of national educational programs
• Ministry of Higher Education, Research and InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for strategic orientation and development of research projects
• SonatelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenegalese telecommunications company collaborating on internships, professional training, and applied research
• Senelec (Société Nationale d'Électricité du Sénégal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational electricity company partnering on internships and applied research
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency collaborating on sustainable development, education, and cultural heritage projects including 50th anniversary of World Heritage Convention
• UNDP (Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN development agency partnering on development projects
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency collaborating on development initiatives
• IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research consortium partner in agricultural research development
• CIRAD (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational agricultural research consortium partner
• University Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral cooperation with leading Senegalese university in African CAMES space
• IPAR (Initiative, Prospective Agricole et Rurale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on land transactions research schools with Montpellier Land Pole
• Pôle Foncier de MontpelliercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organization of researcher schools on land transactions and markets
• CEA-MITIC (Centre d'Excellence Africain en Mathématiques, Informatique et TIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican Center of Excellence in Mathematics, ICT hosting international colloquia and mobility scholarships

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• African Leadership University: Pan-African private university network with campuses in Mauritius and Rwanda. Targets similar demographic of African undergraduates and graduates, though with a more entrepreneurial and English-language orientation.
• African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS): Pan-African network of centers of excellence for mathematical sciences. Comparable to UGB's CEA-MITIC center in its mission to develop African mathematical and ICT talent through postgraduate training.

Broad incumbents

• Addis Ababa University: Ethiopia's oldest and most prominent public research university. Comparable as a comprehensive African public university with strong research infrastructure, doctoral programs, and international partnerships.
• University of Cape Town: Africa's leading research university with comprehensive offerings. Comparable as a top-tier African research institution with international partnerships, though operating at significantly larger scale and with English-language instruction.
• Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology: Ghana's leading public technological university with strong engineering and applied sciences focus. Comparable in being a comprehensive African public university with engineering emphasis and research centers, though operating at larger scale.
• Université Mohammed V: Major Moroccan public research university with comprehensive programs including engineering, sciences, law, and humanities. Comparable as a Francophone African public research university serving the Maghreb/West Africa corridor.

Direct peers

• Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny: Ivory Coast's flagship public university in Abidjan. Comparable as a Francophone West African comprehensive public university with similar disciplinary breadth and government funding model.
• Université Iba Der Thiam de Thiès: Senegalese public university in Thiès with similar comprehensive offerings. Comparable in scale, funding model, and academic portfolio, making it a direct competitor for regional Senegalese students.
• Université Assane Seck de Ziguinchor: Another Senegalese public comprehensive university serving a regional catchment. Directly comparable in structure (multi-UFR system, public funding model) and competes for the same domestic student pool.
• University Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar: Senegal's flagship public university in Dakar. Already a partner of UGB, it competes directly for students, faculty, and government funding within Senegal's higher education ecosystem, particularly for STEM and graduate programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/universitegastonberger
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universite-gaston-berger-ugb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Université Gaston Berger