Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo Zimpapers Business Hub
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister, Dr Frederick Shava, has applauded the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (ZIMDEF )’s good corporate governance standards, which has underpinned proper disbursement of collected funds and made a positive impact on education.
Dr Shava said at the official opening of the ZIMDEF 2026-2030 Strategic Planning workshop in Bulawayo yesterday.
Minister Shava said the ministry’s achievements under National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) were, in no small measure, a reflection of ZIMDEF’s strategic partnership and commendable financial stewardship.
He said in 2025 alone, the Heritage-Based Education 5.0-driven efforts yielded tangible outcomes, including the certification of over 33 479 artisans and technicians through HEXCO and the trade testing of thousands more.
A surge in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) enrolment to 44,8 percent, with a 33 percent female representation, was a testament to targeted policy and infrastructure support.
Dr Shava also said the fund’s efforts enabled the registration of 16 student-led start-ups and filing of over 30 Intellectual Property Rights, completion of the Law School, and near-completion of 14 strategic physical infrastructure projects for improving access to quality, equitable, inclusive education.
“These are not abstract figures; they are the blueprints of our industrialisation, and ZIMDEF has been the indispensable financier, turning our vision into concrete and steel, our ideas into certified skills and patentable innovations,” said Dr Shava.
“I must specifically commend ZIMDEF for its exemplary corporate governance. To receive unqualified audits for four consecutive years and to be independently adjudged the best-managed state entity is not a minor feat.
“It is a resounding declaration of transparency, accountability, and prudence. This efficiency is the bedrock upon which our national trust is placed.”
ZIMDEF’s strategic planning workshop is meant to take stock of achievements and challenges the organisation has faced in the past five years, and draft strategies for 2026-2030, which will run in line with the National Development Strategy 2.
Dr Shava said ahead of the implementation of NDS2 programmes, the ministry’s focus was shifting from economic stabilisation to accelerated, innovation-led industrialisation.
He said ZIMDEF was the primary engine for achieving the policy target, directing the fund to anchor its 2026-2030 strategy on three pillars: catalysing an export-led economy, championing digital transformation and forging accountable partnerships as well as deepening industry collaboration for levy compliance and co-created solutions.
“ZIMDEF must remain an instrument that unlocks the vast reservoir of talent in Zimbabwe’s artisans, technicians, innovators, and entrepreneurs, channeling their potential directly into the engine of our national knowledge-driven economy,” added Dr Shava.
“And to ensure this, the ZIMDEF Strategic Plan for 2026 to 2030 must be developed and ingrained in our actions.
“The impeccable governance culture you have built at ZIMDEF during NDS1 is your greatest asset. Let that culture of transparency, accountability, and impact be the digestive system that consumes this new strategy and converts it into tangible national progress.”
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Permanent Secretary Prof Fanuel Tagwira said ZIMDEF served as a resource mobilisation arm of the ministry, supporting the ministry’s human capital development and innovation mandate.
Prof Tagwira said the ministry provided the overarching policy and strategic framework, while ZIMDEF mobilised, prudently managed, and disbursed the financial resources to translate the Government’s policy targets into measurable outcomes.
“This synergy between policy formulation and implementation ensures that the nation’s skills ecosystem remains responsive to the needs of our economy,” he said.
“Under NDS 1, the fund played a pivotal role in providing the much-needed resources for the implementation of various programs and projects aimed at transforming the higher education sector under Heritage-Based Education 5.0.
“Our thrust is to produce graduates who are not only knowledgeable, but have the skills that are required and are innovative and industrially minded. In this regard, the ministry expects ZIMDEF to continue aligning its programs, funding mechanisms, and interventions with the imperatives of Heritage-Based Education 5.0.”
