Obey Musiwa
Herald Reporter
Primary school pupils are developing grassroots engineering solutions to Africa’s traffic challenges, with the Government providing a continental platform for them to showcase their ideas.
Through Education 5.0, innovation hubs, STEM education and digital skills programmes, the Government is creating opportunities for young innovators to turn classroom ideas into practical solutions to Zimbabwe’s challenges.
Africa Skills Week 2026, running from October 12 to 16 at the Harare International Conference Centre, is the latest platform showcasing these efforts.
Organised by the African union Commission in partnership with the Government, the event was officially opened by President Mnangagwa under the theme, “Skills for Resilient and Competitive African Industries: From Training to Value Creation”.
Skills Audit and Development Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said the week was designed to connect young talent with people and institutions capable of supporting the development of their ideas.
“It will bring together institutions, industry and young innovators with policy makers, investors and partners,” he said.
“Africa Skills Week is about turning training into jobs, enterprises and shared prosperity for our young people.”
Among the standout exhibitors on opening day were pupils from Lusitânia Primary School in Harare, representing Harare Metropolitan Province.
Their STEM and Robotics Club showcased a working model of the proposed Chiremba Road and Robert Mugabe Road Traffic Exchange Flyover, designed to ease daily gridlock and cut fatal road accidents.
The model is built from timber, recycled plastics and artificial foliage, and runs on solar power.
Embedded cameras detect traffic violations, monitor accidents and alert emergency teams in real time.
Lusitania Head of Academics Dr Patricia Gonde said the project reflects the school’s approach to skills development.
“Practical skills begin at home and are given clear direction in primary school. At Lusitania, our strength lies in nurturing these foundational science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills from an early age,” said Dr Gonde.
Project mentors Kilford Mukarati and Kathleen Chipadza emphasised the model representing months of research and problem-solving by the learners.
It won first place at the Harare District STEM Competition, took top honours at provincial level, and was shown at the National Research Symposium in July and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in August.
For the pupils, the project is about the roads they use every day. Zuva Chibaya explained that artificial intelligence sits at the heart of the design.
“This AI is designed to monitor the number of cars and their condition. This AI will be tracking car movements and their orientation,” he said.
Kayla Siwela said the flyover would be linked to a nearby station so that help can reach the scene quickly.
