Abstract

Zambia is a landlocked country in south central Africa. The University of Zambia, located in the capital city Lusaka, was established in 1966. The School of Veterinary Medicine was established in 1983 to increase the availability of veterinary service in Zambia. In response to a request from the government of Zambia, the government of Japan helped build and equip the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Lusaka Campus beginning in 1982. In 1982, there were only 70 veterinarians in the entire country, of whom 8 were Zambian nationals. Since the first graduates left the School of Veterinary Medicine in 1988, the number of veterinarians in the country has grown accordingly. At present, the school has graduated about 350 Zambian veterinarians, and they are contributing greatly to improvements in animal health, public health and livestock production in Zambia. For the 15-year history of this project, success has been built upon a number of professional and personal exchanges between Zambia and Japan. The personal exchanges and technical cooperation of this project are contributing to both human resource and economic development in both Zambia and Japan.