Unifron approved: federal university in Oiapoque
The Chamber of Deputies approved this Tuesday (04/28) PL 1078/2022, which transforms Unifap's Oiapoque campus into the Federal University of the North Frontier.
A historic victory for the northern border
The Chamber of Deputies approved this Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Bill 1.078/2022, which transforms the Oiapoque campus of the Universidade Federal do Amapá (Unifap) into the Universidade Federal da Fronteira Norte — Unifron. The approval took place in the Chamber's Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Committee (CCJ), with changes in relation to the original text from the Senate.
The news was celebrated by Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (PT-AP), author of the proposal, and by federal deputy Marcivânia (PT-AP), who followed the project's progress step by step until its approval this Tuesday. In a social media post, Randolfe celebrated:
“Unifron was approved in the Chamber and the dream of a federal university on the border is closer to becoming a reality.”
What is Unifron and what changes for Oiapoque
Currently, Oiapoque has an advanced campus of Unifap, which offers higher education courses to the population of the Brazil-French Guiana border. With the creation of Unifron, this campus will become an autonomous federal university, with its own administrative structure and budget, the capacity to expand courses, hire professors and staff, and develop research and extension independently.
For a border city like Oiapoque, which hosts indigenous populations, riverside communities, and binational communities, Unifron represents much more than a diploma: it is the possibility of higher education without having to travel to Macapá or other urban centers, and the development of research focused on the specificities of the Amazon and Brazil's northern border.
Next steps: Senate and presidential sanction
As the text was approved with amendments in the Chamber, the bill returns to the Federal Senate for a new vote. Senator Randolfe Rodrigues has already indicated that he will work with the President of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), also from Amapá, to schedule the vote as soon as possible. After approval in the Senate, the bill goes to the sanction of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will turn the PL into law.
A long legislative journey
The Unifron creation project has been in the National Congress for years. PL 3.455/2023, originated in the Senate, was approved by the Upper House in August 2024 and sent to the Chamber of Deputies, where it proceeded as PL 1.078/2022. Tuesday's approval in the CCJ represents the most concrete step taken so far for Oiapoque to have its own federal university — an old dream of students, teachers and leaders in the region.
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