‘Move beyond academics, innovate and enterprise’

ZIMBABWE’S transition towards a digital economy demands that institutions of higher learning move beyond producing graduates with academic qualifications and equip them with skills to innovate, create enterprises and solve real-world problems, Public Service Commission (PSC) Commissioner Rosemary Rubvumo-Mukogo said.

Commissioner Rubvumo-Mukogo, who represented chairman of the Public Service Commissions Dr Vincent Hungwe, said this yesterday while delivering a public lecture at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo.

The lecture, titled “From Mindset to Market: Cultivating the Innovator-Entrepreneur for Zimbabwe’s Digital Future”, was held at the Professor Phineas Makhurane Technovation Centre and focused on the role of innovation, entrepreneurship and education in preparing Zimbabwe for an increasingly digital economy.

Commissioner Rubvumo-Mukogo said natural resources and traditional capital were no longer the sole drivers of national wealth as human capital, intellectual property and technological adaptation are increasingly becoming critical to modern economic development.

She said as Zimbabwe pursues its national trajectory towards an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income society by 2030 through the National Development Strategy 1 and 2 frameworks, institutions of higher learning must align their programmes with national economic priorities.

“The country’s development aspirations require graduates who are not only employable, but capable of identifying opportunities, solving problems, creating enterprises and generating new forms of economic and social value.

“This calls for a shift from education that predominantly prepares people to occupy existing roles towards education that prepares them to shape emerging possibilities,” said Comm Rubvumo-Mukogo.

She also outlined the constitutional mandate and core functions of the PSC, saying the Commission operates in terms of Sections 202 and 203 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act, 2013.

On educational reform, Comm Rubvumo-Mukogo said Education 5.0 should be viewed as a strategic national imperative rather than merely an academic policy.

The model builds on the traditional pillars of teaching and research by placing greater emphasis on innovation, industrialisation and the commercialisation of knowledge.

She, however, stressed that the social sciences and humanities remained important in the transformation, arguing that societies did not adopt technologies in isolation from culture, ethics and human relationships.

“The humanities ensure that innovation translates into inclusive, ethical and sustainable socio-economic value,” she said.

Comm Rubvumo-Mukogo challenged students and researchers to confront questions surrounding national identity, technological sovereignty and intellectual security in an era characterised by the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions.

“How does Zimbabwe move beyond being a consumer and integrator of technologies conceived elsewhere, to become a creator, owner and sovereign shaper of the knowledge and digital ecosystems that define its future?” she asked.

To bridge the gap between academic research and commercial application, Comm Rubvumo-Mukogo advocated for the Quadruple Helix Model, which brings together academia, industry, Government and society.

Under the model, NUST provides research and intellectual property, industry provides investment and venture capital, society serves as the end-user, while the Government, through institutions such as the PSC, provides policy regulation and can become a large-scale consumer of locally developed solutions.

“Leaving this institution fearing failure more than fearing irrelevance will only lead to building castles in the sky.

“Identifying climate risk in Zimbabwean agriculture and writing an analysis is a degree requirement, but designing an Internet of Things (IoT)-based micro-climate prediction system that gives Matabeleland livestock farmers 72 hours’ notice before a forced migration is a market requirement,” she said.

Addressing the potential of Zimbabwe’s digital market, Comm Rubvumo-Mukogo said the country’s relatively low internet penetration presented both a challenge and an opportunity for developers and urged NUST technocrats to develop solutions capable of operating on low bandwidth and under conditions of intermittent connectivity.

Comm Rubvumo-Mukogo highlighted NUST’s track record in applying academic knowledge to national challenges, citing the university’s production of more than 400 000 litres of sanitisers and 450 000 reusable masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She also cited the establishment of the country’s second polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing centre at Mpilo Central Hospital and the university’s current development of an artificial intelligence venture unit aligned with the 2026-2030 National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

She identified several areas in which NUST developers could contribute to national development, including Internet of Things livestock-tracking sensors for smart agriculture in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and artificial intelligence-driven solutions to improve healthcare delivery at referral institutions such as Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals.

Comm said the PSC, as one of the largest employers in the country, was also modernising its systems through initiatives including the GovPay platform, electronic payroll modules and integrated salary and pension systems.

Comm Rubvumo-Mukogo said Zimbabwe’s digital future would ultimately depend on the country’s capacity to develop and retain its own talent and intellectual property.

“Do not leave this university merely searching for an employer; leave as a founder, an inventor, an enterprise builder and a transformer of public systems,” she said.

NUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Mqhele Dlodlo commended the PSC for initiating the engagement, saying digital transformation was critical to the attainment of the country’s Vision 2030 objectives.

“For Zimbabwe, the digital transformation journey is not merely a technological imperative; it is a developmental necessity.

“It calls upon us to cultivate a new generation of citizens who are creative, adaptable, solution-oriented and capable of converting ideas into sustainable enterprises and impactful innovations,” he said.