Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba-Bulawayo Bureau
KWEKWE Polytechnic College has made notable strides in promoting industrialisation through establishing five business units, including a construction start-up that has delivered impressive refurbishment work on campus.
The development has resulted in cost savings by reducing the need for external contractors and is a testament to the institution’s commitment to embracing the Government’s drive to boost industrial growth.
Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technological Development Simelizizwe Sibanda said this yesterday while officiating at the 2025 Kwekwe Polytechnic College graduation ceremony of 1 596 students.
With 40 percent of graduates being female, he said the Government recognises the need to bridge the gender gap and encouraged more women to pursue careers in engineering and other traditionally male-dominated fields.
“Against a background of under-representation of women in science and technical industrial fields, the ministry continues to make significant in-roads in promoting an enabling learning environment for more female participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning areas,” he said.
Deputy Minister Sibanda urged female students to break stereotypes through pursuing sciences and challenging traditional gender roles and biases by driving innovations that address health, environmental issues and diverse social challenges.
Guided by the National Development Strategy (NDS1), he said the country has embraced the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 philosophy, a paradigm shift that has redefined institutions of higher learning from passive consumers of knowledge into vibrant hubs of innovation and industrial productivity.
Polytechnics are now producing tangible, scalable solutions to real-world challenges, said Deputy Minister Sibanda, which buttresses President Mnangagwa’s declaration of 2025 as the year of commercialisation of innovation outputs.
“It’s a call to action for our institutions to ensure that innovations and prototypes are not only created but also commercialised to generate employment, support industrial growth, and enhance export competitiveness,” he said.
“In the same vein, my ministry continues to advocate for the creation of student-led consortia as way to empower our graduates to be masters of their destinies by creating employment for themselves and others.”
Deputy Minister Sibanda said Government has put in place measures to ensure a smooth take off for such business units and start-ups by way of facilitating company registration.
“We commend Kwekwe Polytechnic for embracing the Government call for promoting industrialisation. Of note, for the year 2025 alone, Kwekwe Polytechnic has registered five such business units. One typical Construction start up is the one, which has been doing some of the marvelous refurbishment of infrastructure taking place at Kwekwe Polytechnic,” he said.
“Through these proactive policy initiatives, we are cultivating a conducive atmosphere and environment for Human Capital Development that aligns with the needs of industry and commerce.”
“I encourage you to scale up and commercialize these innovations through collaborating with industry and commerce. The ministry has prioritised support mechanisms such as access to technical mentorship, market linkages, and incubation services,” he added.
“We envision a future where graduates walk out of our institutions not with just a certificate, but with a registered company, a working prototype, and a pathway to scale.”
On student welfare the Deputy Minister said the Government was determined to maintaining an accessible tertiary education system through the ministry’s “Work for Fees” policy that ensures that no student is left behind due to financial constraints.
He revealed that the ministry has introduced the Integrated Skills Expanded Outreach Programme (ISEOP) to expand skills training, to complement Government’s philosophy of leaving no one and no place in education and national development programmes.
“Through these efforts, we are building strong foundations for Rural Industrialisation—anchored on appropriate skills development and localized production.
“Polytechnics like Kwekwe Polytechnic must become engines of economic growth in their respective regions, supporting the development of community-based industries powered by graduates who understand local needs and opportunities,” said Sibanda.
“This includes manufacturing agricultural tools, food processing machinery, and basic industrial solutions that serve rural economies and reduce dependency on imports.”
In his welcome remarks Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Owen Ncube, highlighted the New Dispensation’s desire to attain a resource-based, skills- and knowledge-driven upper-middle-income society earlier than 2030.
“Implementation of the Education 5.0 philosophy by the Second Republic under the stewardship of President Mnangagwa, aligns perfectly with our national aspirations of integrating teaching, research, community service, innovation, and industrialisation,” he said.
Minister Ncube said the synergy between education and industry has become the cornerstone of the Second Republic’s strategy to drive resource-based, skills- and knowledge-driven economic recovery and growth.
