Antony Chawagarira
HARARE — Midlands State University (MSU) students have won the national Enactus championship, earning the right to represent Zimbabwe at the Enactus World Cup in São Paulo, Brazil, later this year.
The MSU Enactus Club emerged victorious in the Delta Corporation Early-Stage Competition Championship at the Enactus National Competitions held at the Golden Conifer Conference Centre in Harare from September 3 to 4.
The team impressed the judges with Earth to Energy, an innovation that aims to transform the invasive water hyacinth at Lake Chivero into cooking gas and nutrient-rich fertiliser.
The project was presented by MSU Biomedical Science students Tanaka Shumbayaonda, Jacinth Jeffery, and Bright Chinungu.
The students used their clinical training to develop a bio-optimised anaerobic digestion system that incorporates staged pre-treatment and K1 microbial retention to break down water hyacinth and produce useful energy and agricultural products.
The victory has secured the students a place at the Enactus World Cup, which will be held in São Paulo from November 16 to 19, where they will compete against university teams from around the world.
Enactus is a global organisation that brings together university students, academics, and business leaders to use entrepreneurship and innovation to address social, economic, and environmental challenges.
University students form Enactus teams and develop projects aimed at improving people’s lives while creating sustainable economic opportunities.
The projects cover areas such as agriculture and food security, environmental protection, renewable energy, job creation and entrepreneurship, poverty reduction, skills development, and community development.
Teams compete in national competitions by presenting their projects to business and academic judges. National winners proceed to the global Enactus World Cup.
The 2026 Zimbabwe competition was held under the theme, “Preparing Young People for the Future of Work: Skills, Career, Mentorship, Enterprise.”
Speaking at the event, Dr Denis Murekachiro, Director of Higher Education at the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, challenged students to move beyond developing innovations and to commercialise their products.
“The Education 5.0 philosophy is not just about creating products in the innovation hub, but also about pushing local products to reach the global market,” Dr Murekachiro said.
He urged young innovators to identify market gaps, develop sustainable business models, and create practical solutions to challenges affecting their communities.
Ms. Ndlovu, Vice Chairperson of Building Opportunities on Sustainable Talent (BOOST), urged competitors to use the platform to build lasting networks and exchange ideas.
Ndanatsei Nyamhunga, Head of Corporate Affairs at Crown Bank, said students had a responsibility to use their research and innovation to contribute to community development and industrialisation.
“You have the responsibility to contribute to the success of all communities through research and industrialisation,” she said.
The MSU victory reinforces the university’s commitment to Education 5.0, which seeks to transform academic knowledge into practical innovations, entrepreneurship, and industrial development.
The Earth to Energy project will now carry Zimbabwe’s hopes to the global stage as the MSU team prepares for the Enactus World Cup in Brazil.
