Harare, (New Ziana)— President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday urged Zimbabwean innovators, tertiary institutions and industry to accelerate the commercialisation of locally developed technologies.
He made the remarks in the capital while officiating at the Third Edition of the Presidential Innovation Fair and Awards Ceremony, an annual event that celebrates outstanding innovators from across the country.
Addressing guests, innovators and academics, President Mnangagwa said innovation should drive the country’s march toward the vision to become an upper middle income society by 2030.
He described the fair as a tribute to Zimbabweans whose ideas and inventions are shaping a modern, industrialised economy.
President Mnangagwa applauded organisers for hosting the event for the third consecutive year, saying the platform had become a cornerstone of the Second Republic’s innovation agenda.
”As we look back at the milestones in the education sector since the adoption of the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 Model, our nation has every reason to be proud, he said.
“Universities and tertiary institutions continue to transform graduates from being mere employment seekers into individuals with skills to produce goods and products that meet the needs of our economy,” he added.
Head said the strides made by Zimbabwean innovators deserved “recognition, support and celebration”
and it was against this background, he noted, that he launched the Presidential Innovation Awards three years ago.
Currently, beneficiaries of the awards come from universities, colleges, government agencies, private companies and independent innovators.
President Mnangagwa said more categories would be added in the future to ensure wider national participation.
He however stressed that beyond recognition, innovation should translate into industry-ready products, repeating his directive that patents and prototypes produced through Government-funded initiatives should be commercialised and systematically tracked.
”We must be deliberate and more aggressive to guarantee that prototypes move to pilot, and pilot products transition to the market. Commercialisation will not happen by accident,” he said.
President Mnangagwa encouraged players across industry, from manufacturing to the creative sector and SMEs, to register patents and safeguard intellectual property for local brands.
He also called on Ministries, departments and agencies to improve guidance and facilitation for intellectual property registration.
Turning to global technological trends, President Mnangagwa noted that Zimbabwe had entered an era where digital and Artificial Intelligence tools were central to scaling innovation, adding the government would continue investing in modern science and technology infrastructure.
He urged institutions of higher learning, both public and private, to deepen their role in transferring skills to productive sectors through technology development, consultancy and continuous training of the national workforce.
”It is my expectation that the education ecosystem and the private sector will deepen their collaboration to build a successful innovation ecosystem,” he said, emphasising the need for mentorship programs, co-funding arrangements and support for prototypes to grow into viable start-ups and export-ready industries.
President Mnangagwa also highlighted the urgent need to tackle skills retention so that Zimbabwe does not only produce top-tier innovators, but keeps them.
He called on citizens and private sector partners to support the national research and innovation agenda.
Congratulating this year’s award winners, he described their achievements as “a national gain,” and encouraged them to use their prizes to strengthen their prototypes and secure intellectual property rights to enter domestic and global markets.
”Keep on experimenting, commercialising and building on the humble beginnings I witnessed today — brick by brick, stone upon stone, and step by step,” he said.
New Ziana
