Mnangagwa caps 447 HIT graduates

A total of 447 students at Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) graduated yesterday at a colourful ceremony in the presence of HIT Chancellor President Mnangagwa.

The bulk of the students graduated virtually, with the President capping those who were outstanding in various disciplines.

The virtual graduation ceremony sought to minimise the risk of Covid-19 infection. Students graduated in Engineering and Technology, Industrial Sciences and Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Information Science and Technology, and Businesses and Management Sciences.

In his address at the 11th graduation ceremony, HIT Vice Chancellor Engineer Quinton Kanhukamwe chronicled several projects that the institution spearheaded that have impacted on industry. He said they were releasing a group of 447 group of Engineering and Technology students with a sense of mission accomplished because they were equipped with the most technopreneurial skills and courageous mentality.

"They are the embodiment of Education 5.0, as they are armed with the requisite skills and stamina to set up hi-tech enterprises. To the graduates, go ye out there be innovative, disruptive and have a positive impact ass individuals," said Eng Kanhukamwe.

Chronicling achievements by the institution, Eng Kanhukamwe said the mass urban bus transport tap card payment system was at 34 percent implementation nationwide.

"To date, about $2,4 billion has passed through the system, demonstrating that we can have a cashless transport system. It is also creating downstream employment through agencies that are being deployed across towns and cities," said Eng Kanhukamwe.

On the national fuel management project, Eng Kanhukamwe said measurements had been collected from all provinces, sensors procured and shipment expected in mid-October. He said software development was 80 percent complete. HIT was working on national fuel smart card; the design had been completed and is currently being piloted by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

"The project will eliminate the chaos in the fuel value chain system and bring in discipline in our national transport system as every drop of fuel will be accounted for," said Eng Kanhukamwe.

Other projects are a Bureau de Change payment system to help the central bank manage activities of the system at click of a button. A transformer production project will help farmers and corporate bodies.

HIT is pursuing production of alminium based number plates with requisite security features. A Covid-19 alert system "is a pandemic tracking system that is deployed countrywide. The system consists of an android-based mobile application and a web-based application which keep statistics of Covid-19 cases detected countrywide in real time," said Eng Kanhukamwe.

Latter on, the President toured the sanitiser and water production plants where the institution is producing sanitisers and purifying water.

In an interview soon after the tour, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the President will soon officially open the institution's innovation hub which was almost 99 percent complete.

"HIT is Education 5.0 compliant. In fact it has been compliant before we even talked about 5.0."

HIT continued to develop new innovations since the previous graduation.

"We have an innovation hub which is at 99.9 percent complete and President will soon come to inaugurate it. At that time, we will see a display of all what they have done. So we are proud about the direction that we are taking. We are taking a direction which says we can do it. So we are ready but we have to be humble and concentrate and continue doing what we have to do. The direction that the President has taken, that he has told us, 'have an education that produces goods and services' and exactly that is what is happening at HIT. We are grateful for the support from the President. We will industrialise and modernise this country in our lifetime," said Prof Murwira.