Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
THE Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) has developed a range of locally engineered enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems that are steadily being adopted by Government institutions, State enterprises and local authorities across Zimbabwe.
The solutions were unveiled last week, during the Third Microfinance Technology Summit held in Harare, where Engineer Tererai Maposa, director of HIT’s Innovation Hub, detailed the institution’s progress in building technology that reduces dependency on foreign software and enhances operational efficiency in the public sector.
HIT’s flagship product, the Local Authority Digital System (LADS), is in use by several local authorities across the country. The system consists of 38 modules covering key municipal functions, including financial management, billing, receipting, procurement, housing, asset control and land management.
Mr Maposa noted that, while the system was technically sound and widely recognised, many councils were only implementing peripheral modules, while avoiding core areas where it could have the greatest impact.
“LADS is designed to tackle long-standing challenges such as double land allocations, misappropriation and nepotism,” he said.
“We have automated stand allocation with built-in business rules that eliminate manual interference and promote fairness. However, we need stronger adoption of the core modules to fully realise its value.”
In response to calls from the central Government for improved local revenue generation, HIT also developed InstaPark, a plug-and-play parking management system now being used in 15 municipalities. Mr Maposa said InstaPark has enabled councils to abandon unfavourable joint venture agreements with foreign firms, allowing them to collect 100 percent of parking revenue directly.
The system, which requires only a modest annual licensing fee, has reportedly increased revenue collection by 300 percent in some areas.
The institute has also introduced Ndarama ERP, an advanced system targeted at non-municipal institutions.
It was developed in response to restrictions faced by Zimbabwean organisations in renewing licences for foreign systems such as SAP and SAGE.
Mr Maposa said Ndarama ERP is operational at the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), where it has automated the entire enterprise, from finance and human resources to customer relationship management and export documentation.
He explained that the system has helped plug gaps in mineral exports by introducing QR-coded permits that automatically expire or become invalid once their defined thresholds are exhausted.
“We have removed all foreign systems at HIT and are now running entirely on Ndarama for student billing, receipting and accounting,” he said.
“We are also deploying it at PowerTel and have begun implementation in the Ministry of Mines, particularly to manage and secure the minerals export process.”
In line with the national strategy to empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs), HIT has developed Musiyama, a mobile-based ERP application.
The app helps SMEs track inventory, expenses and sales while issuing fiscalised receipts and offering real-time oversight across multiple business outlets.
The system is integrated with national dashboards and supports geolocation to enhance transparency and data-driven decision-making.
