The Copperbelt University has been rated among the best 100 universities in Africa as the institution clocks 25 year of existence.
The University has also been ranked at 7, 578 out of 49,713 universities globally coming very close to very old institutions such as the University of Cape Town which is ranked number one in Africa.
This was revealed by acting Copperbelt University Vice Chancellor Professor Naison Ngoma during the University’s silver Jubilee / African University day non-graduating students awards giving ceremony in Kitwe yesterday.
Professor Ngoma said the university has great future given the great achievements it has scored within the short period it has been in existence.
He said the institution is now targeting a position below number 30 within the next four years.
He whoever bemoaned the various challenges the institution is facing in its quest to be among the most preferred oasis of knowledge and a dynamic centre of excellence in Africa and beyond.
The Copperbelt University acting vice Chancellor cited challenges such as inadequate infrastructure for lectures, students’ accommodation and offices for lecturers and researchers.
He also cited the inadequate grant from government and the insufficient number of lecturers.
And Kitwe District Commissioner Elias Kamanga urged the institution to come up with industry tailored programmes that will enable graduating students to easily integrate in the existing labour market.
Mr Kamanga observed that some graduates were finding it difficult to find employment because the programmes in which they have been trained were not demanded by the existing labour market.
He urged the university to further introduce entrepreneurial skills in their curricular to enhance graduates employability.
And the District Commissioner assured the University management that government will continue to financially support the institution to enhance its operations.
He however challenged management to engage the private sector such as the mining houses in addressing the challenges of the institution as government alone could not address the problems of the university.
The Copperbelt University celebrated its Silver Jubilee this year on 12th November under the theme ‘Promoting University-Industry Linkages for Graduate Employment’.
ZANIS
We messed up big time. It should have remained ZIT (Zambia Institute of Technology). Shame upon the people that decided on changing the name. ZIT is more powerful than CBU.
Not good enough.We should strive to be among the best in Africa.
We can do better than that.
#1, am with u, ZIT graduates were more powerful than the current CBU grads.!
DEVELOPER,
Great observation. I have always bemoaned the change to CBU. It should have remained ZIT!
What’s UNZA’S standing in this?
according to web rankings, it is at 38 among the best 100 in africa and 2385 globally.u can follow it on thios address. http://www.4icu.org
When did they change the name from ZIT to CBU?
nonses all oya dont know wha yu talking bou.wats better,an institute or a uni?zit ifinshi
I AGREE WITH YOU
what position does it occupy in africa? is it number 100?? is this something to be proud of sure?? ubupuba bwekabweka fye
wapasa number 100 in africa and number 7 thousand chakuti in the world then u cerebrate???
Zedian universities including CBU are probably in the 60’s- 100 range in Africa.The top spots must have been taken by the usual supects of South Africa,Egypt,Mauritius,Kenya,Morocco or Algeria.
And no mention of UNZA, what a shame.
My friend, UNZA is in top 50 in Africa. No mention of UNZA because of the context under which the Article was written. The speaker is V.C at CBU and was only intrested in CBU. But thats not to say things are good at UNZA. UNZA needs to improve to top 10 atleast.
yebo thats whats up!!!!
There is a small institution in Namibia called Polytechnic of Namibia that beats UNZA and CBU hands down… They even challenge that country’s national university! Check them out and be awed.
ZCAS is number one in Africa
DREAM ON YOU MOTHER F***KER
Dear Developer#1, Interesting point you have raised. I was equally left wondering what the real gain was in the name change from ZIT to CBU. The name CopperBelt University is clearly self-limiting on all accounts and is  inward looking, whereas Zambia Institute of Technology has a Global appeal and harmonises very well with big guns like MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in USA, IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) – India, CalTech (California Institute of Technology) – USA, and the list goes on. It’s as if the powers that be at the time of name change were simply focused in including the actual term ‘University’ in the name at all costs, overlooking that ZIT would still have been elevated to a University without necessarily….ContdÂ
Contd……..necessarily infusing the term in the name. Maybe President Sata should come in and do what he does best by changing it back to ZIT. Any seconders? Â Â
why?
Don’t hate for nothing. We have to appreciate every effort and celebrate every achievement. Previously CBU was not even in the top 100 so this shows an improvement, however little it may be.
Rather quibble over terminology, one should look at the core mission, as defined by the Times Higher Education rankings, and see where UNZA and CBU rate with respect to each other and others in Africa. A note on criteria used for exclusion ‘Universities are excluded from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings if they do not teach undergraduates; if they teach only a single narrow subject; or if their research output amounted to fewer than 1,000 articles between 2006 and 2010 (200 a year). In some exceptional cases, institutions that are below the 200-paper threshold are included if they have a particular focus on disciplines with generally low publications.’
Well said Anne. Am looking the at the THE latest world university rankings as i type and only South Africa in Africa has universities in the top hundred in the world. 4! The highest Witwatersrand is number 249. Â
kekeke!!!! my challenging comments are pending approval by site moderator
Thanx Anne, that was my take too. A uni, from “universal” may encompass many different schools, running a variety of faculties. Schools could include a school or institute of technology! A uni is supposed a centre of different intellectual symbiosis and mutualism creating a cooking pot of intellectual ideas for the advancement of mankind. An institute of technology may get prototype ideas a uni research and develop a piece of technology that solves mankind’s many challenges…
Proffesor should be ashamed to mention such ratings which indicate the institutions poor ranking. Why mention that shyte prof? tamwakwata insoni?
Example, a uni like unza may be teaching and researching in agric sciences, vet and human medicine, mines and mineral or element properties or metallurgy, weather and climate, transport and communications, community dynamics, social behaviour and development, historical and religion influence e.t.c, an institute of technology may choose to develop useful pieces of technology executing work in medicine, mining or a social research computer package to ease how things are done.
For as long as CBU & UNZA students continue to throw stones at inocent motorists, they’ll never be rated below 50 in Africa.Â
nonsense!
In my view, we need both unis and institutes of technologies. However, the current obsession with unis is a bad situ as we are doing more “scattered” theory than “focused” practical research to move ourselves an inch out of poverty. We are in a CYCLE OF POVERTY where poor people have a poor government (financially) and… hence, poorly funded unis and poor rankings. What can we do to break the cycle of poverty? Have economic and financial institutes like ZCAS teaching wealth creation…and Iris industry?
Imwe ba cobusu, are you still showering communally.???..hahahaha, viva cobusu..
If you want to see where UNZA is, just google-latest “African university rankings”. The last time I checked UNZA was number seventy-something while CBU did not even feature. So, if this time we have CBU as number 100 then let them be happy! One time I sat among the group 3 in class. This was a sitting arrangement dull ones where in group 3 and bright ones where in group 1. Progressively I made it to group 1 and stayed there for G. So let CBU celebrate for this is a sign that they are climbing the ladder!
You will appreciate knowing how many universities are in Africa, Nigeria alone has more than 100 universities. And according to the report it say that Zambia’s CBU is among the 100 best universities in Africa and no specific number has been given. So if you are looking for the number one spot it takes good economies and good governance to produce the likes of oxford and Harvard unis. I am surprise that some of you think that this is not anything to be proud of and thus prompting the professor to make an announcement.
iwe stop being ignorant like Prof Ngoma. Just google and find out the top 100 unis in africa. I have tried to highlight this, my comments are not appearing.
If we had a functional Institute of Technology they could have taken up all those prototypes produced through JETS by school boys and girls.
Lusaka times you are fake. All my comments and pending approval. Learn to accept that your info is wrong. I have posted so many comments telling you that CBU is not among the top 100 uni in africa. Mwebantu UNZA is at number 38. Lusaka times own up and give the readers correct info backed with a link. We are here to help you serve us better. Please release on my comments. I have done it in good faith
Being at CBU, What a time. You need more IQ and hardwork to graduate. God has to help or other means!
Oh, I take this news with a LARGE pinch of salt! How can you compare a University that does not offer certain programmes of study with another which does? What is the criteria for this rating?
Please yourselves.
the change of name from ZIt to CBU has a very interesting history actually: As far as I am made to understand, the initial plan was to build a university of Zambia at Ndola (UNZADO). UNIP wanted to have a university in Ndola, and another in Solwezi. Money was misappropriated and the answer to the UNZADO plan was to transform the then ZIT into UNZADO, which later became CBU. I am sure a lot of you folks will remember the name UNZADO.
Mmmm. Ba VC, which org did the ratings? Can’t see that after checking. For those who care and are curious, google “list of universities in Zambia”. I was surprised.
i have done that its a shame, the whole lot of a prof lying
But anyway, if you compete CBU with many small SME universities in Nigeria and Sub Sahara Africa, it can look great and impressive. Hope not that that this what the evaluators did. OK. let me read about this iron dome missile defense system.
Clearly my dear friend you are ignorant. I schooled in Nigeria and have been to CBU it is not better than federal goverment college kano, a secondary school.Â
Rather than aim for growth you take pleasure in trying to insult other african countries. In no way can you compare the grandeur of the currently weak Nigeria to Zambia.Â
Is it in wealth? Nigeria has over $50billion dollars cash in reserve much more than South Africa. Much of the assets in South Africa belong to Nigerian. 90% of black doctors in the UK while I was a student were trained in Nigeria.
Lets not even begin talk about black entreprenuers in Africa. The biggest and most daring are Nigerians. The private jets used by Nigerian business men can’t be compared to your Challenger 600 used by the president.
The internet is not agreeing
A Zambian degree is not recognised outside Zambia. Perhaps thats another thing to work on as we strive to be #1 in Africa.
I did not attend a Zambian university, but UNZA graduates are one of the brightest in the world. CBU graduates have not impressed me a bit. Most of my high school friends that went to CBU came back with a diploma and copala swag, but you know in Zambia, if you are degreed, then you’ve a better shot at a good job. It is these mediocre graduates that bring our country down!
From the contributions here I don’t think a single gradUate has blogged on this story. The logic, reasoning and language are so poor no self respecting university would feel proud to be represented by any of the Bloggers above. Iyoo chamusebanya sana mukwai
UNZA is at number 38… follwing UNZI at 37.
Ok, I checked on 2012 World University Web Ranking
Top 100 Universities and Colleges in Africa (updated), and I did not see CBU, so where is it?
CBU is not on the top 100 universities in Africa. UNZA is number 38. Get your facts right before publishing!
Agreed @Katongo, but UNZA is NOT in the top 100.
@ Katongo … You are on the money, yes #38 is UNZA. sorry about that.
CBU cannot be among the first 100 universities in Africa. Please mark my words.
it is clear that we zambians like talking too much. Maybe we dont have serious things to do or think about. We dont even define the basis of our arguments well. It appears that even Ghana knows this fact very well. The change of name from ZIT to CBU did not affect anything but the name itself. The building, lecturers, facilities etc remained the same. Most senior lecturers at CBU were trained at UNZA including the VC himself. If you’ve been to both universities you would agree that there isn’t much differences. All have pathetic ablution blocks. CBU hostel rooms look better or may be just more open. If you are at UNZA doing engineering most likely you will use the same books and do the same labs as the other guy at ZIT. The only difference may be in lecturer’s attitudes.
#45 Jeanne Uwamahoro Why not? Graduates from CBU have gone to top class universites in the world to do their masters’ and PhDs and graduated with honours. So what are you saying?
There is no way this country can develop with such high levels of ignorance starting from the professor himself. If you get the records from the internet using the most renowned search engines for the past five years, you will discover that UNZA and CBU were not appearing while for the past two years,UNZA has moved from 62 to currently 38 while CBU is still not there. These are not fictional records as you can just check right now.
It looks like CBU students are so dull that they can celebrate anything even if someone told them that zambia is now the biggest economy on planet earth. Guyz, lets move from mediocrety to high levels of intelligency.
UNZA or CBU it matters what course one is doing. Universities are a transition and not ends by themselves.
Select a good course which enables you to live well ever after whether at CBU or UNZA.
Don’t select a university but select a programme to study. For example don’t go to UNZA if you have a passion in Accounting and by the same token don’t go to CBU if you have a passion in Economics.
If the only degree offered at UNZA was Bachelor of Stamp collecting would UNZA still be better than CBU or if CBU was offering only the Bachelor of Stamp collecting degree would it be better than UNZA? Both UNZA and CBU offer some jobless courses. Which university is better CBU or UNZA? Supposed the courses at the better university were jobless would one still select the university just for its…
No wonder our ZIT Motto will ever stand a test of time..that “ZIT Te inobe”.
DRC The Democratic Republic of CBU, where Only The Strong Survive.
Iweee regardless of which course, ZIT ni ZIT and will ever be far better than UNZA..why?
pass mark will tell you why?
pa UNZA ni ku BEng fye chapwa the rest fikwakwa
no wonder
the problem in Zambia is that we miss our priorities, most of our universities concentrate on business courses, high ranked universities like MIT, harvad, oxford and Cambridge, contrite much on science & technology. the motive behind CBU was good “a university of natural sciences”. the change was a good one was a good one
it really is a shame celebrating top-100th place but beside the name has done no harm to the school.
UNZA is 22 in Africa,CBU is hardly on top100.