President Emmerson Mnangagwa has challenged the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) Industrial Incubation Centre to transform itself into a fully-fledged industrial production hub, saying it should drive manufacturing, technology development, value addition and enterprise growth in line with the country’s industrialisation agenda.
Speaking during its commissioning, President Mnangagwa said the facility should move beyond providing workspace for graduate innovators to becoming a centre of production that contributes directly to national economic development.
“The University of Zimbabwe Industrial Incubation Centre must not merely be a workspace for graduate innovators, but steadily evolve into an industrial production hub that supports manufacturing, technology development, value addition and enterprise growth,” he said.
This call comes as the University hosts 11 start-up companies at its Industrial Incubation Centre, a development the President described as evidence that Zimbabwe’s universities are successfully translating research and innovation into commercially viable products and businesses.
President Mnangagwa said the resident start-ups reflect the success of the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model, which is repositioning universities as engines of industrialisation through research, innovation and commercialisation.
“Universities must play their part and take responsibility to build our country through research, science, innovation and technology,” he said.
He commended the University’s research and innovation ecosystem, saying the diverse products and technologies being developed demonstrate Zimbabwe’s capacity to achieve Vision 2030 through home-grown solutions.
The President said innovations in biotechnology and healthcare, including indigenous herbal medicines, vaccines, cosmetics and food products, should enable the country to shift from exporting raw biological resources to manufacturing value-added pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
He also applauded innovations in agriculture, including smart farming equipment, solar-powered systems and drone technologies, saying they have the potential to improve productivity, modernise farming and reduce post-harvest losses.
On mineral beneficiation, President Mnangagwa directed state universities to intensify research into value addition, stressing the need for a National Minerals Research Centre.
“The establishment of the National Minerals Research Centre that facilitates the value addition of a variety of minerals, including lithium, rare earth elements and uranium, among others, is now urgent,” he said.
As Chancellor of State universities, President Mnangagwa urged institutions to pursue their research and innovation mandate with diligence and integrity, reiterating that Government will continue supporting innovation ecosystems that commercialise research, create enterprises and generate employment.
The UZ Industrial Incubation Centre is expected to play a strategic role in nurturing technology-based enterprises and expanding domestic manufacturing, reinforcing the Government’s Vision 2030 agenda of building an innovation-led, industrialised upper middle-income economy.
