Government support emboldens varsities’ innovation impact

GOVERNMENT support to universities across the country has enhanced their ability to develop and showcase impactful innovation and technology products, a senior official has said.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development permanent secretary, Professor Fanuel Tagwira, told guests at the recent Great Zimbabwe University Research Fair that the support had influenced huge transformation in universities.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, local universities came up with interventions that enabled the country to save US$300 million, which could have been spent importing consumables for combating the deadly disease.

Covid-19

Prof Tagwira said research works, which were being showcased at the Fair at the Robert Mugabe School of Education in the industrial area, were in line with President Mnangagwa’s statement when he inaugurated the National Development Strategy (NDS1), that the country’s economy was going to become innovation-led and knowledge-based.

He reminded the audience that during the previous GZU graduation ceremony, President Mnangagwa had indicated that the Government was no longer going to accept and allow institutions of higher learning to educate for the sake of educating, but to play a part in national development.

“By saying that he was saying it is a new day and I’m sure you agree with me that since he came in it is a new day. We are seeing transformation that we have never seen before and for that we are truly grateful,” said Prof Tagwira.

National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1)

“Within that NDS1 there are a number of outcomes that are clearly expected to come out of the work of our ministry. One of that is skilled workforce production, innovation and technology for national development, and we can only do that with research. So, such research fairs as is happening here must be encouraged.”

Describing Government support in higher education and research as unprecedented, Prof Tagwira said the country’s universities never had funds to do what they wanted, as was the case at the moment. He said as a result of the support, many innovations had come out of universities , some contributing directly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“We are seeing what we have never seen before, that students doing their undergraduate studies can come up with innovations, that medical oxygen can be produced by public institutions, acetylene, liquid nitrogen, artificial insemination enough to cover the whole country, we never thought things like that will happen but they are happening now,” he said.

Prof Tagwira said one university whose staff passed through a tollgate everyday, spending up to 40 minutes in the queue, had approached him with an innovation, which was expected to ease congestion at toll gates.

The university had reached an understanding with the Zimbabwe National Road Administration to install their system at toll gates, starting with the road, which they used, he explained.

— New Ziana