Govt to fund young dreams

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday directed the Ministry of Finance and Investment Promotion to set aside funding for the development of young dreams through innovation hubs.
President Mnangagwa was speaking during the official opening of the Great Zimbabwe University Innovation Hub, a centre for creative thinking in Masvingo.
He said young people should be allowed to live their dreams, whether they fail or succeed.
The Government will support and offer guidance for stronger innovation ecosystems for the University with need for talented young people to be supported to realise their full potential.
“Since the coming in of the Second Republic every State university has an innovation hub and (Minister) Mthuli Ncube must fund whether the fund produces service or product we don’t care. We must allow our young people to dream and dream and dream. Succeed or fail, but allow them to dream,” he said.
“In line with the spirit of inclusivity and leaving no one and no place behind, coupled with community engagement mandate of the university, I exhort Great Zimbabwe University to ensure that innovative and talented young boys and girls in and around Masvingo Province have access to the innovation hub,” he said.
President Mnangagwa urged universities to open their doors to young people in rural areas to test their products as it is not only those in universities that are talented.
“The importance of innovation hubs and industrial parks in the industrialisation and modernisation of our beloved mother land, Zimbabwe, cannot be overemphasised. I commend the Higher Education Sector’s current focus, resolve and determination to help our nation’s modernisation and development by ourselves,” he said.
“We have lots of talented boys and girls in our institutions let them be tested. Those who succeed should succeed, those who fail are also talented. With singleness of purpose, unity and hard work, we will have an improved and prosperous economy come 2030, even with the albatross of sanctions hanging over our country.”
The new Education 5.0 compliant programmes, he said, must help cultivate an enduring innovative and creative spirit among the young talented students to drive the aspiration of the University to become an exceptional Pan-African institution.
Vice-President General (Rtd) Constantino Chiwenga said as the country strives towards an empowered upper middle income society by 2030, it is therefore gratifying that the innovation hub will be a key enabler in the attainment of the economic transformative agenda.