Walter Nyamukondiwa
Mashonaland West Bureau Chief
Collaboration between universities, agricultural colleges and industry is strengthening technical training, research and innovation, supporting the Government’s drive to translate education into industrial development and economic transformation.
The partnerships are also creating opportunities for students to gain practical industry experience, with companies increasingly becoming part of the training process and absorbing graduates equipped with skills relevant to their operations.
University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Mapfumo, said the collaboration was complementing the Government’s Education 5.0 thrust by ensuring agricultural training went beyond theoretical instruction to producing graduates capable of developing practical solutions to industry and community challenges.
In a speech delivered on his behalf by Professor Alice Kuyayama at Gwebi Agricultural College’s 74th graduation ceremony on Friday, Prof Mapfumo said the university’s partnership with the college, which dates back to 1997, had become an important pillar in strengthening technical and academic excellence.
He said the model was helping align agricultural education with the demands of a modernising economy, where research, innovation, community engagement and industrialisation were central to national development.
“Education 5.0 and Agricultural Education for Development 5.0 challenge us to go beyond teaching. They emphasise research, innovation, community outreach and industrialisation,” he said.
He said agricultural training institutions had a critical role in ensuring that knowledge and skills acquired by students translated into improved production, processing, marketing, mechanisation and climate adaptation.
The importance of industry partnerships was illustrated by the experience of Gwebi graduate Abide Chitiyo, who scooped the Overall Best Student Award with a Distinction and secured employment with Seed Co as an Agricultural Extension Officer following his industrial attachment with the company.
Seed Co Head of Agronomy in Zimbabwe, Mr Dior Pote, said the company had offered Chitiyo employment after he demonstrated his knowledge and capabilities during his attachment.
He is expected to work directly with farmers, providing agronomic advice and promoting good agricultural practices to improve productivity.
Mr Pote said the experience demonstrated the value of partnerships between training institutions and industry in producing graduates who were not only academically qualified but also equipped to meet workplace demands.
Abide Chitiyo said he hoped to help farmers adapt climate-proofing techniques to reduce its impact.
“With what I have learnt, I wish to impart good agronomic practices to drive growth of the agricultural sector,” he said.
The university’s partnership with the colleges is also helping bridge the gap between academic learning and practical application, positioning graduates as potential innovators, entrepreneurs and drivers of industrial growth.
At Gwebi, this approach is reflected in student research projects addressing challenges faced by farmers, including digitalised irrigation control systems, climate-smart mushroom production technologies and innovations in animal production and agricultural engineering.
Students have also developed a small-scale Juncao grass shredder and simplified water and feed systems, demonstrating how technical knowledge can be transformed into locally relevant technologies.
Prof Mapfumo said such initiatives showed that students were not merely acquiring theoretical knowledge but actively developing solutions that serve communities and strengthen agriculture.
The Agric4Development philosophy places agriculture at the centre of national transformation by linking education, research, entrepreneurship and industrialisation.
The Associateship Scheme has since expanded to eight agricultural colleges, with Gwebi among the institutions benefiting from the university’s academic support framework.
The 2026 graduating class comprised 85 students, 49 males and 36 females, and recorded a 98 percent pass rate.
Prof Mapfumo challenged graduates to use their skills to support farmers, develop industries and contribute to community development.
“The nation looks to you for service, innovation and leadership. May your knowledge serve farmers, may your creativity drive industries, and may your commitment uplift our communities,” he said.
