Harare, (New Ziana) -President Emmerson Mnangagwa has hailed the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) as a model for innovation and national development following the commissioning of its Industrial Incubation Centre and Specialist Medical Centre.
He was speaking after officially commissioning the two facilities on Monday, which he said represent a major step towards industrialisation, improved healthcare and the commercialisation of home-grown innovations.
President Mnangagwa said the two landmark facilities demonstrate the success of the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model, which is transforming universities from centres of learning into engines of industrialisation, innovation and economic development.
“It is my distinct honour and privilege to officially commission two signature developments emerging from the University of Zimbabwe, which are the Industrial Incubation Centre and Specialist Medical Centre. Such projects validate the success of the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 Model that continues to position our higher and tertiary institutions as critical cogs in the ongoing industrialisation, modernisation and development of our economy,” he said.
He commended the university for creating an innovation ecosystem that nurtures ideas from laboratories through product development to commercialisation, with student-led start-ups at the centre of the initiative.
The government, he said, would continue granting Innovation Hub Status to promising projects, while financial institutions and industry players should increase support for start-up companies emerging from universities.
President Mnangagwa noted that Zimbabwe imports manufactured goods worth about US$2.5 billion annually, saying universities have a critical role in reducing the import bill through local production.
“I am confident that this approach will provide impetus for our young talented students to develop their ideas into products, goods and services,” he said, adding that the Industrial Incubation Centre should evolve into a production hub supporting manufacturing, technology development, value addition and enterprise growth.
Turning to the Specialist Medical Centre, he described it as a significant investment that would improve specialist training, while expanding access to advanced medical services previously available mainly in the private sector.
The multi-disciplinary facility will offer oral and eye healthcare, trauma services and assisted reproduction through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), making specialized treatment more accessible to ordinary Zimbabweans.
“The establishment of the facility, with its specialists and high-end health care, dovetails with my Administration’s core development principle that leaves no one, and no place behind,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said the centre complements the Presidential Hospital Renovation and Modernisation Programe and expressed hope that the University’s Quinary Hospital, currently under construction, would soon be completed to strengthen the country’s healthcare system.
He also directed the Ministry of Health and Child Care to remove barriers hindering the establishment of specialist health facilities and warned against cartels that make healthcare unaffordable.
“My government will not accept the prevalence of opportunists and so-called health sector cartels and syndicates, who operate to the detriment of our people,” he said.
President Mnangagwa urged universities to intensify research and innovation in biotechnology, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, mineral beneficiation and renewable energy, saying Zimbabwe has the capacity to achieve Vision 2030 through locally developed solutions.
He reaffirmed Government’s commitment to supporting innovation and industrialisation, declaring the future of Zimbabwe bright as universities continue to produce solutions that drive sustainable national development.
New Ziana
