The University of Lubumbashi (UNILU), in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has renewed its partnership with the Free University of Brussels (ULB) and signed a new cooperation agreement with the University of Mons (UMons), reported UN radio Okapi.
The announcement was made by leaders from the three universities during a press conference held in Lubumbashi last Friday, as detailed by Radio Okapi.
UNILU was founded in 1955 and its close partnership with ULB has existed for almost 70 years. In 2017, it joined ULB's group of privileged partners.
The visit of ULB representatives to UNILU was an occasion to celebrate collaborations between the two universities. The UNILU campus is home to a ULB representative office which facilitates projects between the two institutions.
Since 2019, ten UNILU doctoral students have co-supervised a thesis with ULB in numerous disciplines: psychology and educational sciences, polytechnics, medicine, pharmacy, sciences, and public health.
Two student "micro-projects" have also been organised between ULB and UNILU students, one relating to an immunisation awareness campaign for children in Lubumbashi and the other to the renovation of the UNILU Clinics. ULB will soon finance a new micro-project to support the creation of 'green toilets' on the UNILU campus.
Gilbert Fitula, rector of UNILU emphasised the importance of the partnership. His institution draws inspiration from the model of these other universities, particularly in terms of the conception of the university and society, as well as the organisation of certain programs and faculties.
ULB Rector Annemie Schaus highlighted the mobility of academic staff and the pooling of research efforts made possible by the partnership. "There is research being conducted here [in the DRC] by teams from the ULB and UNILU – or a combination of ULB, UNILU, and UMons – that we wouldn't be able to do in Belgium," she said. "It benefits us immensely."
"Universities should not work in isolation," added UMons Rector Philippe Dubois. "We need to encourage the exchange of experience because science is universal, with a major impact on society. There must be a cross-pollination of knowledge and a consolidation of what has been learned."
During their visit to Lubumbashi, Schaus and Dubois also met with the mayor of Lubumbashi as well as the vice-governor of Haut-Katanga province. They visited an anatomy laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine, which has recently been fitted with equipment sent from Belgium.
