Andrew
THE Zimbabwe Inventors Association (ZIA) is requesting Government to provide its members with facilities to conduct research and develop their creations, an official has said.
ZIA president Mr Ignatius Nyongo said facilities were critical for members to develop prototypes for commercial production.
“We are appealing to the Government to assist inventors with facilities including equipment, laboratories, workshops for research and development,” he said.
Government, he added, could follow the concept that it implemented in State universities, where President Mnangagwa introduced innovation hubs to drive the country’s industrialisation and modernisation agenda.
The idea behind the innovation hubs was to encourage tertiary institutions to promote and incubate innovative ideas for commercialisation.
At the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), innovation hubs have birthed innovations such as the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company tap-card system and the fuel management system, which produces a real-time fuel management system.
“Zimbabwe is doing better than other African countries to support inventors, but it can do more,” said Mr Nyongo. – New Ziana
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter