In 2008 Central Africa Baptist University moved her fledgling College onto a sliver of land next to Copperbelt University in Riverside Extension. In January of 2011 a letter was written to the late Registrar requesting for CBU to sell Plot 5880 to CABU for the development of our college campus. Again, on November 11, 2012 a letter was delivered to the Vice Chancellor requesting a meeting in regards to the possibility of purchasing Plot 5880.

The process of CBU offering the property for sale was long and involving but on February 14th the Copperbelt University advertised Plot 5880 for interested parties to make a bid to purchase the plot! We received the advertisement and prepared this document:CBU Proposal Plot 5880 that outlines our compliance to the very specific criteria of the advertisement and an amount that we would be willing to pay for the property.

On Friday February 17th at 15:00 our CABU representative was present for the public opening of the bids for the property. There were five bids received by CBU. Of the five only two were credible, the bid by Central Africa Baptist University and the bid by G&G Bakery. It is interesting to note that we were witness to the fact that both CABU and G&G offered the exact same amount of money for the plot!

Of course we were extremely hopeful based upon our meeting the criteria of the advertisement that we would be notified our bid had been selected. On Tuesday, March 28th our President, Philip Hunt met with the CBU Registrar to enquire if the University had reached a decision regarding the sale. He was informed that the CBU Council had decided to offer the property to G&G Bakery.

We were informed that we could lodge an appeal if we felt the process was not fair and the information for where that appeal should be sent were provided.

31 March 2017

The Chairman CBU Development Committee of Council

C/O CBU Council Office

Copperbelt University

PO Box 21692

Kitwe

RE: APPEAL OF DECISION NOT TO GRANT PLOT 5880 TO CENTRAL AFRICA BAPTIST COLLEGE & SEMINARY

Dear Sir,

On behalf of the CABU Board of Directors I am writing to lodge an official appeal for CBU to reconsider the application of Central Africa Baptist University and accept the bid made by our institution for Plot 5880 in Riverside Extension.

We appeal based upon the merits of our institution’s compliance with the terms of the advertisement for the sale of the plot published on 14 February 2017. Here is the quotation from the advertisement:

Preference will be given to bidders who espouse National and Community strategies and priorities as well as incorporating social responsibility in the overall development of the property.”

Our representatives were present at the public unsealing of the five bids received by Copperbelt University in response to this advert on 17 February 2017. We therefore know that the two parties who offered reasonable bids for plot 5880 were Central Africa Baptist College and G&G Bakery. We further witnessed the fact that G&G Bakery bid the exact same amount of money as did Central Africa Baptist University.

Based upon the fact that the bids were identical, then certainly the specific terms of the advertisement provide a legal basis upon which to evaluate who should be awarded sale of the property. Your advert said, preference will be given to bidders espousing National and Community strategies.?It seems reasonable that the National and Community strategies of both bidders would be investigated, evaluated and compared to see who best met that very specific guideline. We appeal your decision to award sale to G&G Bakery because we do not believe that any impartial body could look at the public benefit and good being accomplished by a private, non-profit higher educational institution, and registered Zambia Teachers Training College and determine that a Bakery offers more national and community strategies and priorities.

As contained in our detailed 8 page bid: Central Africa Baptist University espouses the following National & Community strategies and priorities and has a solid plan for incorporating social responsibility in the overall development of the property in the following ways:

We are a College offering a 4 year degree program for the training & equipping of local Pastors. As a Christian nation, the church is at the grassroots level of providing community services in the form of counseling, orphan care, youth programs etc.

Graduates having learned skills at CABU are serving in Orphanages, Street Kids Homes, pastoring churches, doing mission work, running community based programs. At the very core of our institution is the goal of impacting the community in Kitwe, across Zambia and into the 9 other countries represented by our student body.

We are a College offering a 4 year degree with a Chaplaincy emphasis. CABU has espoused an National Strategy in cooperation with the Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force, Zambia Police, Zambia National Service and Zambia Prison Service to train and equip Chaplains to serve our nation in this vital role. In addition we offer training to all chaplains in the Zambia Services by offering a Chaplaincy Certification Program in which 125 Chaplains from all the branches are enrolled and attend week long classes.

We are a College offering a 4 year degree with a Counseling emphasis. CABU is committed to training counsellors with the ability to minister to the hurting and most vulnerable in society including counseling for HIV/Aids.

As a College we are offering block classes where the Deaf Community is invited for training using sign language interpreters.

As a College we offer to the community and to our own student Sign Language Training where the hearing are taught to communicate with the deaf in society.

We are a Registered Teacher Training College with the Ministry of Education and an approved testing centre, what better commitment to both national and community development than the training of primary school teachers.

Our students are organized as volunteers?involved every week in the community through strategic youth outreach, sport events and other community based activities.

Our development plan is to construct much needed classrooms and a large multi-purpose sports gym & conference centre to meet the needs of our own student body, and also to provide sports to students at Copperbelt University and youth in the community.

Further, Central Africa Baptist University employs 46 men and women. Many of the jobs at CABU?are higher paying skilled jobs that directly impact the Nation of Zambia and is a direct asset to the community. With the property and expansion of our campus we anticipate increasing our employee base by 50% in coming years.

Sir, I would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience to hear from you the CBU Council’s reasons for awarding G&G Bakery Plot 5880 to be used as a parking lot for trucks instead of CABU to be used to further the education and social development of the citizens of Zambia.

We further urge you to reconsider the merits of our application based upon the details contained in your advertisement. We believe that an impartial overwhelming case can be made to reverse your decision and award the sale of this property to Central Africa Baptist University.

So perhaps you can see why we feel that the decision reached by CBU in the selection process is unjust. The future development of our College, Seminary and Teacher’s Training College is hanging in the balance. Our current plot is fully developed with no room for necessary expansion and construction.

We ask well wishers to get involved in the following ways:

  • First of all, please pray each day that God will intervene in this situation and that a favorable decision would be made.
  • Our many friends, alumni, students and the hundreds of pastors who have benefited from CABU can assist by spreading the word about this situation. Forward the details of what has happened, and where you are able appeal on our behalf.

Thank you for your care and concern for the ministry of God here at Central Africa Baptist University. Please continue to pray for God’s intervention in this matter.