Emmanuel Adebayor wants to get involved in higher education in Togo through his SEA (Sheyi Emmanuel Adébayor) foundation. A commitment to the education sector to improve the facilities for students at the University of Lomé (UL) with the construction of an amphitheatre that will bear his name, as well as the reinforcement of sports facilities with the commitment to equip the stadium with artificial turf and a grandstand. The former captain of Togo's Eperviers will also start teaching at the Institut National de la Jeunesse et des Sports (INJS).
Adébayor at the signing of the partnership between the University of Lomé and his SEA Foundation
The five-year renewable partnership between the SEA Foundation and UL will enable former Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester City and AS Monaco striker Emmanuel Adébayor to affirm his commitment not only to education, but also to health and youth entrepreneurship. "We have several specific objectives as part of this partnership. Firstly, to strengthen the educational and sports infrastructure. Secondly, the foundation will be involved in cultural, sporting and scientific activities. Finally, this partnership will also lead us to work with students to promote excellence and a spirit of initiation", explained Boris Mensah Segbenou, Vice-Chairman of the SEA Foundation.
According to Professor Dodzi Korokoko, President of the University of Lomé (UL), these objectives are in line with Axis 4 of his strategic plan for the renovation of the university. "Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor remains an icon, a model of success for young Togolese. That's why I believe that the partnership between the University of Lomé and the SEA Foundation is a marriage of convenience that will have a major impact on the student community. You (Adébayor) have a lot to contribute to these young people, who are in greater need of guidance. Our ambitions for the start of the 2023-2024 academic year to introduce a sports and study pathway deserve your full support. And you have the necessary resources to support them in their many successes", said the university authorities.
Emmanuel Adébayor professor at the University of Lomé's INJS
The partnership also covers the National Institute for Youth and Sport (INJS) at the University of Lomé, where Adébayor will become a teacher at the school to give courses to students. He will also use his extensive address book to solicit training courses for students abroad and provide them with opportunities for professional integration. "The captain has signed an agreement with the University of Lomé. But I read on the net that he's going to teach there. Honestly, that would be great. That's precisely what we're lacking in the French-speaking system, sharing the excellence of atypical successes with learners who have doubts, students who are demotivated or misguided. Adebayor in the lecture hall? Yes, three times yes," says Kangni Alem, a Togolese writer, translator and literary critic.
The University of Lomé will also be providing visibility for the SEA Foundation and will be mobilising teacher-researchers to support the Foundation's scientific projects. As for Emmanuel Adébayor, he expressed his pleasure and pride at entering into such a partnership with the University of Lomé on behalf of his Foundation. He affirmed his readiness to honour the commitments of his Foundation and to support all development projects at the University of Lomé.
