The University of the Atlantic is the beginning of the realization of a dream that we have always cherished among African university friends. This dream started from a bitter observation that can be summed up in these points: The teachers and researchers of our African universities, particularly French-speaking ones, are retiring from the public service at the very moment when the experiences they have acquired could still be very useful to their young teaching colleagues in the training of our students; Many baccalaureate holders wishing to enroll in state universities cannot do so, due to insufficient reception facilities in these public higher education establishments; In many fields (law, letters, economics, in particular), applications for registration abound, while the faculties refuse people, sometimes the best.
We then asked ourselves the question of whether it would not be useful to mobilize these trainers, most of whom are our former masters with internationally recognized skills, in a private structure of the same level as the State universities with a view to satisfaction of this strong demand for training that the State alone can no longer satisfy. As a result, we would give them the opportunity for effective supervision of their young colleagues, which we would also use. Various opinions taken in this direction from teachers, administrators and friends, inside and outside, have strongly encouraged us in the realization of this dream.