Online Reporter
Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
GOVERNMENT has lauded the Harare Institute of Technology for its impressive accomplishments since its inception, emphasising that the contributions go beyond theoretical knowledge to offer real-world solutions to pressing national challenges.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Dr Frederick Shava said this yesterday, while officially opening the institution’s Technovation Expo 2024.
This year’s Expo is running under the theme: “Twenty Years of Designing the Future: Celebrating Commercialisation of Research, Development and Innovation Outputs for Zimbabwe’s Modernisation and Industrialisation.”
“I want to express my deep appreciation to HIT for its unwavering dedication to fulfilling its mandate of developing, incubating, transferring and commercialising technology,” Ambassador Shava said in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy Simelisizwe Sibanda.
“Your efforts are not only advancing Zimbabwe’s technological landscape, but are also inspiring the next generation of innovators.
“To our young people, I urge you to seize the opportunities presented here. The careers of the future will be rooted in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Your creativity, curiosity and resilience will be the driving force behind the Zimbabwe’s modernisation and industrialisation.”
The Minister highlighted HIT’s notable achievements, including the development of the Ministry of Mines’ export licencing system, the Bureau de Change system for the Reserve Bank and innovative projects in solar energy and battery technology.
These advancements, he said, demonstrate Zimbabwe’s capacity for technological innovation and position the country as a leader in renewable energy.
HIT Vice Chancellor, Engineer Quinton Kanhukamwe, said: “True to the mandate, HIT has churned out a number of start-ups. Some of the start-ups are already having visibility out there in various cities within the country.
“We have Matsimba Technologies, which has rolled out tap card. It has rolled out the fuel management system which is used by various service stations in the country, including Hwange Power Station.
“We also have a transformer manufacturing company, which we call Afriwatt. We pride ourselves in the lead time that we take to produce a transformer and we believe Zimbabwe has the capacity to produce not only for Zimbabwe, but also for the entire continent.”
HIT is also set to begin commercial production of lithium batteries for passenger vehicles, having developed prototype cells from purified lithium phosphate.
