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. Initially established in 1954 as Lovanium University during Belgian colonial rule, the current university was established following the division of the National University of Zaire (UNAZA) in 1981.
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.
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.
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, surrounding the medical complex with traditional dwellings.
In 1932, the Catholic University of Louvain expanded its efforts by establishing an agronomy section at the Kisantu site. This was followed by the addition of a section dedicated to administrative and commercial sciences in 1936, and a section for medical assistants in 1937. In 1947, these various academic departments were consolidated into the Congolese University Center of Lovanium. The center was relocated from Kisantu to the Kimwenza neighborhood, where it evolved into Lovanium University in 1952. In 1954, the institution officially began its operations at its Mount Amba site, covering an area of 400 hectares. The inaugural academic year offered a diverse array of programs in natural sciences, social and administrative sciences, pedagogical sciences, and agricultural sciences. It received heavy subsidies from the colonial government and funding from the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development.
A landmark development in 1957 included the establishment of university clinics and the introduction of the first doctoral program in medicine. Additionally, the installation of the TRIGA nuclear reactor that same year provided a foundation for cutting-edge research in biological specimen analysis, including animals, plants, seeds, and chemical systems. Lovanium University rapidly gained distinction as a leading institution, recognized for its robust infrastructure, academic excellence, and wide-ranging research activities. Its reputation attracted eminent political figures, such as Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam (future President of Ethiopia), Nzo Ekangaki (future Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity), and Mahmoud Riad (future Secretary-General of the Arab League), as well as notable intellectuals like Albert Einstein, Igor Prigogine, and Cheikh Anta Diop.
In 1971, under the authoritarian regime of President Mobutu Sese Seko, a significant reform of the higher education sector was implemented in Zaire. This restructuring sought to amalgamate all public universities into a cohesive entity known as the National University of Zaire (Université Nationale du Zaïre; UNAZA). Although the reform was presented as a measure to rectify systemic inefficiencies and align academic programs with the socio-economic and political objectives of the post-independence nation, it was heavily influenced by Mobutu's totalitarian principles that prioritized state regulation at the expense of academic freedom and institutional independence. The reorganization entailed the merger of Lovanium University with the Protestant University in the Congo and the University of Lubumbashi. Academic programs were standardized into a three-tier structure: a three-year undergraduate cycle, a two-year master's degree, and doctoral studies. During this time, the university severed its ties with the Catholic University of Leuven, and funding began to drop precipitously. The institution's infrastructure was only capable of accommodating 5,000 students, leading to significant capacity challenges amidst rising enrollment demands.
The centralized governance of UNAZA, managed by a single rectorate, placed all faculty and staff under federal payroll. While this system was intended to enhance national integration and promote standardized scientific research, it ultimately subordinated the educational agenda to Mobutu's political objectives. Ideological conformity supplanted academic innovation, undermining the university's ability to develop practical skills and foster expertise in fields critical for national progress.
Despite its lofty aspirations, the 1971 reform faced financial challenges, compounded by widespread corruption, which led to chronic underfunding of the higher education system. By 1977, the university grappled with deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate research facilities, and stagnating academic standards. Faculty members frequently protested against inadequate salaries, while students experienced overcrowded classrooms and limited access to resources. These systemic issues culminated in a marked decline in the quality of education. The state's inability to expand the system in tandem with the country's population growth resulted in a bottleneck that stifled the development of Zaire's human capital. The erosion of academic autonomy, coupled with bureaucratic inefficiency, entrenched educational stagnation, leaving a legacy of unmet potential that persisted well into subsequent years.
The 1981 reform, enacted through State Decisions No. 08/CC/81 and No. 09/CC/81, sought to revolutionize the Zairean education system across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. This initiative emphasized cultivating professionals capable of generating transformative ideas to catalyze national development. However, the reform's underpinning framework retained the authoritarian tendencies of the 1971 restructuring.
The reform addressed critical shortcomings by aligning education with the country's developmental needs. At the higher education level, universities were tasked with producing "executives" equipped with a blend of advanced technical expertise and moral leadership, ostensibly aimed at fostering a sense of nationalism and civic responsibility. Higher pedagogical institutes were reoriented to train educators of "exceptional moral and pedagogical caliber", who would teach and also serve as political overseers and embody the nobility of their profession. Despite these ostensibly progressive goals, the reforms were deeply entrenched in political dogma. This ideological rigidity stymied the transformative potential of the reform, leaving fundamental systemic flaws unaddressed.
The lofty aspirations of the 1981 reform failed to resolve enduring challenges inherited from the 1971 unification of the university system. One major issue was the mismatch between education and employment, as university curricula remained disconnected from the demands of the job market, leaving graduates ill-equipped to contribute effectively to national development. Additionally, the reform failed to foster the intended sense of nationalism and professional integrity among students and educators. Universities also faced significant research deficits, struggling to conduct meaningful studies that could address societal challenges due to inadequate funding and resources.
In recognition of the failures of centralized management under the 1971 reform, the government sought to introduce administrative autonomy for higher education institutions in 1981. This effort included re-establishing three distinct universities: the University of Kinshasa, the University of Kisangani, and the University of Lubumbashi. While this decentralization was a step toward alleviating the burdens of a centralized system, it was insufficient in addressing the systemic dysfunctions.
Newly independent, the University of Kinshasa continued to struggle financially throughout the 1980s. By 1985, the campus was in decline, strewn with trash and the dormitories in poor condition. The university's cafeteria stopped serving meals and pay for professors slipped as low as $15.
In response to declining government funds, tuition was raised 500 percent in 1985. A subsequent reform effort culminated in the promulgation of Framework Law No. 86-005 on 22 September 1986. This legislation aimed to formalize the organizational structure of national education, articulate its objectives, and delineate the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders, including the state, educators, and private institutions. It also established guidelines for the regulation of educational entities and mechanisms for addressing systemic violations. Although the framework law aligned with international standards and provided much-needed structure, it largely perpetuated the status quo. The politicization of education under the party-state continued to undermine progress. The absence of technical competence, coupled with a state apparatus riddled with corruption and inefficiency, hindered the effective implementation of the law. In 1989, deeper cuts were made at UNIKIN, with the suspension of nearly all scholarships and financial aid and institution of new fees. Through the 1980s, as much as 90 percent of the university's budget was paid for by the government, with only a small amount of revenues coming from student tuition. By 2002, the government only contributed $8,000 (USD) of the university's estimated $4.3 million annual budget (not including some personnel costs which are paid directly by the state).
By the 2004–2005 academic year, the university's enrollment had decreased to 23,250 students, spread across ten faculties, including Agronomy, Law, Economics and Management, Letters and Humanities, Medicine, Pharmacy, Polytechnic, Sciences, Social, Administrative and Political Sciences, and Psychology and Educational Sciences. The academic and scientific body consisted of 508 professors, while the technical and administrative staff numbered approximately 2,800 personnel.
On 9 December 2015, students appealed for the renovation of several heavily deteriorated homes, including homes x, xx, xxx, 150, 80, Vatican, and eight others. These aging structures built decades ago, required significant exterior and interior refurbishment to ensure their structural integrity and overall condition. Erosion also posed a threat to some of these homes. The Office of Roads and Drainage (OVD), supported by government funds, was actively engaged in addressing erosion issues in the "trafic" area at UNIKIN. This initiative involved backfilling with earth and constructing gutters to control existing erosion affecting houses opposite UNIKIN. Torrential rains had further exacerbated access routes to this area, particularly at the Plateau des résidences des enseignants.
On 10 February 2020, President Félix Tshisekedi launched initiatives to enhance the housing conditions, with a specific focus on rehabilitating student residences. This initiative followed the displacement of over 6,412 students who were forced to leave their accommodations after altercations with the police in early January 2020. The students' protest against the increased academic fees led to a suspension of academic activities. The renovation project was administered by the Intendance Générale (IG), the Entreprise Générale de Construction de Kinshasa (EGECOK), and a company referred to as the "Contractor". UNIKIN's administrative secretary general, Godefroid Kabengele Dibwe, reported that 12 out of 14 residences had been rehabilitated and were awaiting furnishing for student accommodation. After almost four years of closure, the UNIKIN's Management Committee reopened the student residences on 3 October 2023.
On 1 March 2022, UNIKIN's rector Jean-Marie Kayembe Ntumba, received a delegation from the Ministry of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi. The meeting, held near the office of the Minister of Finance, marked the commencement of the rehabilitation and modernization project of the UNIKIN Omnisport complex, which was in a severely dilapidated condition. The projected timeframe for the work exceeded ten months and involved the refurbishment of the swimming pool and its facilities, the grandstand, changing rooms, the machine room, electrification, renewal of floor and wall ceramics, earthenware, and equipment for the improved functioning of the Olympic-sized swimming pool. Nicolas also announced plans to upgrade the large stadium to international standards, featuring a synthetic turf playing area and stabilized embankments. Additionally, two annex stadiums were to be constructed, along with a protective wall and embankments for the basketball-volleyball and tennis-handball stadium, and a drainage network for all the grounds leading to the outlet on the Kimwenza road.
On 8 December 2022, Jean-Marie Kayembe Ntumba officially inaugurated the rehabilitation works of the internal roads at the site, pre-financed by EGECOK, which was carrying out these works in a short period of time, in consideration of the upcoming Jeux de la Francophonie.
The first nuclear reactor in Africa was built at the University of Kinshasa in 1958. The reactor, known as TRICO I, is a TRIGA reactor built by General Atomics. TRICO stands for a combination of TRIGA or “Training Isotopes General Atomic” and Congo. The reactor was built while the country was still under Belgian control, and with the assistance of the United States government, under the Atoms For Peace program. TRIGA I was estimated to have a 50-kilowatt capacity and was shut down in 1970. In 1967, the African Union established a nuclear research center, the Regional Center for Nuclear Studies and the United States agreed to provide another TRIGA reactor. The second reactor, TRICO II, is believed to have a one-megawatt capacity and was brought online in 1972.
In 2001, the TRICO II reactor was reported to be operational, but was apparently put on standby in 1998. The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo stopped funding the program in the late 1980s, and the United States has since refused to ship replacement parts.
International observers have long been concerned about the safety and security of the two nuclear reactors and the enriched uranium they contain.
There are twelve academic divisions at the university:
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.
4°25′10″S 15°18′35″E﻿ / ﻿4.41944°S 15.30972°E﻿ / -4.41944; 15.30972