Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT has taken a major step towards unlocking the country’s human capital with the launch of the Zimbabwe Global Skills Partnership Programme, an initiative aimed at transforming skills development into a key driver of economic growth and industrialisation.
Skills Audit and Development Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere officially launched the programme in Harare recently, positioning it as a strategic intervention to align the country’s skills base with national development priorities under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), the ongoing NDS2, and the broader Vision 2030.
The programme comes at a time when Zimbabwe is intensifying efforts to modernise its economy, reduce reliance on imports and fully use its human resource base, both locally and in the diaspora.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Muswere said the initiative sought to address longstanding gaps in skills coordination, while turning the country’s workforce into a competitive asset.
“As a ministry we have a clear mandate of skilling, upskilling and reskilling and in terms of NDS1 and in terms of NDS2 and in terms of the journey that we all committed as Zimbabweans to play a pivotal role in the development of our nation, human capital development remains a priority in terms of transforming this economy,” he said.
“But the capacity to be able to recognise the most important resource that we have, which is the people, is the capacity that is within the mandate of our ministry. How do we skill, how do we reskill or how do we upskill?
“The most dynamic resource that we have is the human resource. But how do we coordinate the skills that we have? How do we transform brain-drain into brain-gain? These are the questions that this particular programme must be able to respond to.”
Zimbabwe has, for years, grappled with the effects of brain drain, with many skilled professionals seeking opportunities abroad.
However, Government has increasingly shifted focus towards harnessing diaspora expertise through structured engagement frameworks, skills databases and investment platforms — a strategy that aligns with the broader Second Republic’s economic reform agenda.
Dr Muswere said the defence and security of a nation is in its people and Zimbabwe was colonised because “we didn’t have the rifle” to defend it.
“So, we need to use our intellectual power to develop,” he said, explaining that Africa has the most sought-after minerals but the “absence of national strategic thinking” has ensured that the countries on the continent remain developing countries.
The newly launched programme is expected to complement ongoing reforms in the education sector, particularly the Heritage-Based Education 5.0, which emphasises innovation, industrial relevance and the production of goods and services that meet national needs.
Dr Muswere noted that despite the country’s rich natural resource endowment, Zimbabwe continues to import finished goods, largely due to gaps in technical skills and industrial capacity.
By strengthening technical and vocational training, promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and fostering partnerships between Government, industry and international stakeholders, the programme seeks to bridge this gap.
