adminSenior Reporter
THE Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, has challenged workers in her ministry to spearhead critical thinking in the country to bring innovativeness and buttress human capital development.
In her keynote address at a strategic planning workshop held in Mutare on Wednesday, Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said it was high time the country stopped to import equipment which can be produced locally.
She said industrialisation would only be realised through deliberate policies that promote human capital development as well as embracing new science technologies to stir the economy.
“Let’s do research and be able to localise science and technology. Let us not talk of Ebola here in Zimbabwe and set aside huge sums of money to fight it when we have home-grown problems that require solutions that are found locally. Right now we are importing tractors from Brazil that can be easily manufactured here.
“Why don’t we have a Zimbabwean tractor up to this age when we have the minds? We are busy developing other countries through migrant labour yet we have problems at home. Let us respond to our needs. We should not go to Dubai and India to buy jewellery yet we have the resources here.”
Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said the strategic workshop must design and chart a roadmap which would assist in producing empowered human capital to drive science and technology economic transformation.
She said the establishment of new universities was top on the agenda.
These are Gwanda State University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Manicaland University of Applied Sciences and Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences.
Online Reporter