[1] UNAZA was established in August 1971 when the country's three existing universities[a] and 17 technical colleges were merged into a single administrative structure.

[b][3][4] The reform also allowed the Zairean state to implement its programme of Authenticité by breaking the ties which had traditionally connected the country's university education to the Catholic and Protestant Churches.

[5] Administrative support and library resources were poor and members of faculty were frequently left unpaid.

[5] The poor transport infrastructure in Zaire also made the university's federal structure difficult to sustain.

The UNAZA structure was maintained in a basic administrative form to facilitate cooperation between the different independent universities.