Harare, (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday capped 2 729 graduands at the Zimbabwe Open University’s (ZOU) 24th graduation ceremony.
The ceremony was held under the theme, “Advancing Human Capital for Vision 2030 through Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL),” which reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to expanding access to higher education by breaking down geographical, temporal and socioeconomic barriers.
The graduands represented a wide range of academic disciplines, including Agriculture, Science, Technology, Commerce, Applied Social Sciences, Education, Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies.
Addressing the graduands and guests, ZOU Vice-Chancellor Dr Paul Gundani said the university’s flexible learning model enabled it to reach working professionals, remote communities and non-traditional learners across Zimbabwe and beyond.
This approach, he said, ensured that skills development remained aligned with the country’s Vision 2030 objectives.
“Today marks a milestone for our graduands, a motley of civil servants, Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) employees, private-sector employees, self-employed entrepreneurs, full-time housewives and husbands, and a small percentage of unemployed young people. All our students share a commitment to lifelong learning.
“The hallmark of Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) is that, when students complete their studies, they demonstrate endurance, resilience and tenacity. It is not easy to balance work responsibilities, family commitments and rigorous academic studies,” he said.
Dr Gundani said ZOU, as Zimbabwe’s premier distance-learning institution, continued to strengthen its contribution to Heritage-Based Education 5.0 through teaching, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation.
“Guided by our Strategic Plan and the national development agenda, we remain committed to producing graduates who are not merely seekers of employment, but job creators, innovators and responsible citizens,” he said.
The graduation ceremony also provided an opportunity for the ZOU community to join the nation in congratulating President Mnangagwa on the enactment of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill No. 3 Act, 2026, which the institution described as a significant milestone in the country’s constitutional and governance development.
Dr Gundani also congratulated President Mnangagwa and the people of Zimbabwe on the country’s election to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2027–2028 term, as well as its forthcoming assumption of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) chairmanship.
Providing an overview of the university’s performance, Dr Gundani said ZOU continued to align its operations with the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model, National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030.
He said the university’s academic programmes were designed to equip students with relevant, up-to-date and transferable skills, while research remained central to its institutional transformation agenda.
ZOU has also expanded its commercial activities through Indolate Manufacturing Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, a university-owned entity that has generated substantial third-stream revenue and created 15 direct jobs.
In its efforts to build a technology-enabled, future-ready university, ZOU has commissioned a modern National Information Access Centre and established an Artificial Intelligence Hub equipped with dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU) server infrastructure.
The institution is also constructing a multipurpose hall expected to significantly enhance its capacity to support teaching and learning, research, innovation and community engagement.
New Ziana
