The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universi ...

located in

Lusaka Lusaka (; ) is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was about 3.3 millio ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of instruction is

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

History

The beginnings of UNZA can be traced back to before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

when the idea to establish a University in

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesi ...

was conceived. However, plans were halted when the war broke out and only revived after. The colonial government instituted plans to set up a Central African University College, for Africa, due to the development of higher education institutions in most parts of Africa. The Central Africa council (CAC) appointed a committee to investigate requirements for a college for higher education and, it subsequently recommended that a college for higher education be established. A subsequent investigation into the need for higher education for Africans in Central Africa was conducted by Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders in 1952, with a follow up report submitted in March 1953. The

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing colony, self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The reg ...

Government accepted the establishment of a multi-racial University College and the commission consequently recommended that an institution be established in Salisbury. However, a minority report written by Alexander Kerr, provided a counter argument suggesting that the establishment of a higher education institution on the basis of equality between races was not feasible and thus recommended that a university for non-Europeans be established in Lusaka. The political climate, as a result of the independence struggle, in the late 1950s and early 1960s made the idea of an all-inclusive University College of Rhodesia less attractive. As a result, plans to solicit support for the establishment of a higher education institution in Lusaka were initiated. In March 1963, the new Northern Rhodesia Government appointed a commission, the Lockwood Commission, led b
Sir John Lockwood
to assess the feasibility of setting up a university for Northern Rhodesia. The commission placed a lot of emphasis on autonomy and thus recommended the establishment of a university with no ties with already established universities in Britain. The report also recommended the establishment of the University of Zambia as a full-fledged university from the onset. A Provisional Council of the University of Zambia was put in place after enactment of the University of Zambia Act, 1965. In July 1965, Douglas G. Anglin was appointed Vice Chancellor and, in October 1965, President Kenneth David Kaunda gave the assent of Act no 66 of the 1965 act. The University of Zambia was inaugurated on 13 July 1966 following the appointment of President

Kenneth David Kaunda Kenneth David Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Dissa ...

as the first

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

on 12 July 1966. Following his release from prison South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and political leader

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

addressed students at the University of Zambia in February of 1990 in his first trip abroad and first university speech since his release. The School of Veterinary Medicine was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for their contributions to promotion of international cooperation in the technical cooperation field on December 1, 2020.

Campus

University of Zambia Sports Centre and Clinic

Its main campus, the Great East Road Campus, is along th
Great East Road
about 7 km from the CBD. It also has the Ridgeway Campus also located within Lusaka City at the

University Teaching Hospital The University Teaching Hospital (UTH) formerly Lusaka hospital is the biggest public tertiary hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. It is the largest hospital with 1,655 beds. It is a teaching hospital and, as such, is used to train local medical students, ...

; this campus houses students pursuing medical and pharmacological courses. University of Zambia School of Mines front view

University of Zambia Multi-Purpose Teaching and Learning Centre foundation stone

Organisation

The University of Zambia has over 157 undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. The University of Zambia is divided into the following faculties: School of Agricultural Sciences * Agricultural Economics and Extension Education * Animal Science * Food Science and Nutrition * Plant Science * Soil Science School of Engineering University of Zambia School of Engineering

University of Zambia School of Engineering

* Agricultural Engineering * Civil and Environmental Engineering * Electrical and Electronic Engineering * Mechanical Engineering * Geomatic Engineering '
School of Education
'' * Adult Education and Extension Studies * Advisory Unit For Colleges Of Education * Educational Administration and Policy Studies * Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education
Library and Information Science
* Language and Social Sciences * Mathematics and Science Education * Primary Education * Religious Studies School of Humanities and Social Sciences * Development Studies * Economics * History * Political and Administrative Studies * Population Studies * Psychology * Philosophy and Applied Ethics * Media and Communication Studies (formerly Mass Communication) * Literature and Language * Gender Studies * Social Work and Sociology School of Law * Public Law * Private Law School of Mines * Geology * Mining Engineering * Metallurgy and Material Processing School of Medicine * Anatomy * Biomedical Sciences * Physiological Sciences * Nursing Sciences * Medical Education Development * Obstetrics and Gynaecology * Paediatrics and Child Health * Pathology and Microbiology * Pharmacy * Physiotherapy * Psychiatry *

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

* Surgery * Internal Medicine School of Natural Sciences * Biological Sciences * Chemistry * Mathematics and Statistics * Physics * Geography * Computer Studies School of Veterinary Medicine * Biomedical Studies * Clinical Studies * Disease Control * Para-Clinical Studies * Central Services and Supply Graduate School of Business * Business Administration * Masters in Business Administration

Research

* The Institute of Economic and Social Research. * The

University of Zambia Library The University of Zambia Library is the academic library of the University of Zambia (UNZA) in Lusaka, Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, a ...

. * Th
Institute of Distance Education

Affiliations

UNZA is a member of the Association of African Universities, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and the International Association of Universities.

Notable people

File:Edgar Lungu January 2015.jpg, Edgar Lungu, 6th President of the Republic of Zambia File:Levy Mwanawasa.jpg,

Levy Mwanawasa Levy Patrick Mwanawasa (3 September 1948 – 19 August 2008) was the third president of Zambia. He served as president from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. Mwanawasa is credited with having initiated a campaign to rid the corrupt ...

, 3rd President of the Republic of Zambia File:Inonge Wina.jpg,

Inonge Wina Inonge Mutukwa Wina (born 2 April 1941) is a Zambian politician who served as the 13th vice-president of Zambia from 2015 to 2021. She was the first woman to hold the position, which made her the highest ranking woman in the history of the Za ...

, 13th Vice President of the Republic of Zambia File:IRENE-MAMBILIMA-2015.jpg, Ireen Mambilima, 7th Chief Justice of the Republic of Zambia File:Emmerson Mnangagwa 2017.png,

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (, US: (); born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Mugabe, he held a ...

, 3rd President of the Republic of Zimbabwe File:Hakainde Hichilema 2014.jpg,

Hakainde Hichilema Hakainde Hichilema (born 4 June 1962) is a Zambian businessman, farmer, and politician who is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. After having contested five previous elections in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 20 ...

, 7th President of the Republic of Zambia

References

Southern African University
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Lusaka Education in Lusaka Educational institutions established in 1966 1966 establishments in Zambia 20th century in Lusaka