University of Kinshasa

The University of Kinshasa (French: Université de Kinshasa), colloquially known by its acronym UNIKIN, is a public university located in Kinshasa's Lemba commune within the western region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the country's premier university. The university was founded in 1954 as Lovanium University during Belgian colonial rule, making it the oldest university in the country and one of its principal institutions of higher education.

The university traces its origins to educational and medical initiatives launched by the Catholic University of Louvain in the Belgian Congo in the 1920s. These developed into the Congolese University Center of Lovanium in 1947 and subsequently Lovanium University, which began operating at its Mount Amba campus in 1954. Lovanium became an important center of higher education and research in Central Africa. On 20 July 1971, it was renamed the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN) and was incorporated into the National University of Zaire (UNAZA) on 6 August. In 1981, UNAZA was decentralized, and its Kinshasa campus was re-established as the University of Kinshasa.

The university had an enrollment of 29,554 and a faculty and research staff of 1,929 in the 2018–19 academic year, and currently has twelve academic divisions. The Notre-Dame de la Sagesse is strategically located on the campus and provides pastoral ministries to professors and students.

Campus

The university is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of central Kinshasa, in the suburb of Lemba.

Many of the campus facilities have deteriorated and are in poor condition, or lack proper instructional tools - in 2003, the science library had as few as 300 titles in its collection. Since 2001, the university has hosted Cisco Academy, a joint project sponsored by the American software company Cisco and the United Nations Development Programme. The academy focuses on providing recent technology, training students to install and operate computer networks and all coursework is online.

History

1924–1959: Origins and Lovanium University

The origins of the University of Kinshasa traced back to 1924 when the Catholic University of Louvain established a medical association to address health and education in the Belgian Congo. At that time, the colony grappled with a critical shortage of medical professionals. The proposal gained traction, particularly through the advocacy of physiologist Fernand Malengreau and histologist Jules Havet, each of whom contributed distinctively to its realization. Malengreau championed the establishment of an independent association, while Havet recommended the formation of a university foundation for the overseas initiative. Malengreau contended that combating the pervasive epidemic of sleeping sickness required an extensive and well-structured healthcare network across the Belgian Congo, with the critical solution being the training of a significant cohort of skilled Congolese personnel. This vision could not be entrusted solely to public authorities, who had previously established six underperforming nursing schools due to the reluctance of Catholic missions to collaborate with state-run institutions. This initiative culminated in the establishment of the Fondation Médicale de l'Université de Louvain au Congo (FOMULAC) on 15 January 1926 in Kisantu, Bas-Congo (now Kongo Central), through the collective efforts of a group of French-speaking professors, inspired by the suggestion of rector Paulin Ladeuze. The association's statutes were officially published in the Moniteur belge on 13 February of that year. While Léon Dupriez, a law professor and vice-president of the Colonial Council, was appointed president for reasons of prestige, Malengreau became the intellectual architect of the foundation, remaining actively involved for three decades, even after his emeritus status. As secretary-general, he facilitated communication among the university, missionary authorities, and colonial administration. The medical infrastructure construction began in April 1926. Spanning a 10-hectare site, the facility consisted of ten pavilions, with separate sections for black African and white patients, a dispensary, and specialized departments for surgery, obstetrics, internal medicine, and general health. The complex also included a medical staff training school, research laboratories, a chapel, and residential accommodations for the Sisters of Charity of Namur, who assisted in the hospital's operations. A 'maternity village' was gradually constructed and it surrounded the medical complex with traditional dwellings.

Administration and academics

The University of Kinshasa is administered by a Management Committee (Comité de gestion) headed by the rector. The rector chairs the Management Committee and the University Council and oversees the implementation of their decisions. The rector is appointed by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the recommendation of the minister responsible for higher education.

List of rectors:

The Management Committee, appointed by the Minister of Higher and University Education (Ministre de l'Enseignement Supérieur et Universitaire; MESU), oversees the university's daily administration and consists of the rector, secretary-general for academic affairs, secretary-general for research, secretary-general for administration, and budget administrator. The secretary-general for academic affairs assists the Management Committee in coordinating and supervising academic and scientific services, including para-academic services, libraries, teaching units and collections, academic and scientific staff, student admissions and registration, course programs and schedules, teaching, examinations, academic degrees, and academic departments. If the rector is absent or unable to perform his duties, the secretary-general for academic affairs acts as the rector's representative. The secretary-general for research oversees research activities, doctoral supervision, scientific publications and missions, and scientific events and exchanges. The position is appointed by MESU from among academic staff holding at least the rank of professor. The secretary-general for administration assists the rector in coordinating and supervising the university's administrative services, including administrative and technical staff, social services for employees, student accommodation, and campus life. Six directorates report to the secretary-general for administration: Human Resources, Student Affairs, Cultural Affairs, Technical Services and Maintenance, Training, and Social Affairs. The budget administrator oversees the university's budgetary and financial matters and is appointed by MESU from among management-level administrative staff with at least a bachelor's degree and three years of experience in public finance or higher education administration.

The University Council implements the university's academic and scientific policies, including academic planning and staff matters. It proposes to the board of directors the number of teaching hours for each subject and the distribution of subjects across years of study, in consultation with the relevant faculties, departments, schools, institutes, and research centers. It also considers honorary degrees, proposes developments in academic activities, gives its opinion on the Management Committee's budget estimates, appoints and dismisses non-permanent academic staff, and proposes the appointment and promotion of academic staff, chefs de travaux, and management-level administrative staff.

Rankings

In the 2022 Eduranking, the university achieved a ranking of 62 out of 1,104 African universities. According to this ranking, UNIKIN holds the top position among the six higher education and university institutions in Kinshasa. Nationally, it leads the selection of 25 universities, and globally, it holds the 3063rd position out of 14,131 evaluated establishments.

Public figures

Former teachers

Marcel Lihau, lawyer

Mabi Mulumba, Congolese politician

Notable alumni

• Kudianga Bayokisa, Congolese lawyer and politician, Minister of Trade
• Didier Etumba, Congolese military officer
• Sylvestre Ilunga, Congolese politician
• Webe Kadima, Congolese academic
• Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, Congolese politician
• Alain Daniel Shekomba, Congolese businessman, politician and physicist
• Jacqueline Penge Sanganyoi, Congolese politician
• Steve Wembi, Congolese criminologist and investigative journalist

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)