Chiwenga urges industry to partner universities

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga yesterday called on Zimbabwe's industry and commerce sectors to strengthen their collaboration with universities and research institutions to drive innovation and fuel the country's re-industrialisation efforts.

Chiwenga made the remarks during the International Business Conference held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo, where government officials, policy-makers, academics, and industry experts gathered to discuss solutions for Zimbabwe's economic challenges.

To foster a more robust innovation ecosystem, Chiwenga urged the private sector to partner with academic institutions and researchers in commercialising science-based innovations. He stressed the importance of moving beyond traditional boundaries, where academia typically reaches out to industry. Instead, he proposed a role reversal where the manufacturing sector approaches research institutions for solutions.

"It is not the academia which must go to industry, actually, it must be vice-versa," Chiwenga said. "Industry, the manufacturing sector, must go to our researchers, to our institutions of tertiary education, and say we are producing 10 pieces of equipment, we want to accelerate them to 100. Can you give us a solution and then fund those researchers as the private sector because you are the beneficiaries."

The Vice-President also called for home-grown solutions to increase the country's industrial capacity, highlighting the need for innovations that would help Zimbabwe address its economic challenges. Recent reports show that capacity utilisation in the manufacturing sector has improved, rising to almost 50% from around 36% in 2019.

"While this marks significant progress, the government is committed to implementing policies that promote more import substitution, research and development, commercialisation of research patterns, local content development, and suppression of counterfeit goods. These policies aim to deepen value chain integration and increase industrial output," Chiwenga added.

One of the major policy initiatives highlighted by the Vice-President is the establishment of a revolving industrial fund, which will provide critical support to distressed companies. This fund is expected to stimulate renewed investment across key sectors such as agro-processing, steel manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.

In a related matter, this year's ZITF Innovators Forum recorded an increase in the number of universities participating, underscoring the growing role of academic institutions in Zimbabwe's industrial development. Universities outside the traditional list, such as the University of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi University of Technology, and the National University of Science and Technology, have increasingly participated in the event.

Kesani Majoko, a representative from Elevate Trust, noted the rising participation of universities, which signals greater academic involvement in the country's industrial growth.

ZB Financial Holdings, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), and TelOne also participated in a roundtable discussion focused on "Catalysing Industrial Growth through Collaborative Innovation." During this session, ZB Financial Holdings Executive Head of Innovation, Patrick Maseko, emphasised the importance of encouraging innovation across all sectors of the economy, not just in digital and technological fields.

"Innovation in and of itself can be anything, which is what we want to really encourage, because the minute we start thinking about AI, digital, and technology, it then excludes certain segments of the economy and certain individuals that can innovate," Maseko said.

The conference highlighted the need for collaborative efforts between industry, government, and academia to unlock Zimbabwe's industrial potential and drive economic growth.