Tech revolution: Time private sector comes on board

PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA is no doubt an avid evangelist of the efficacy of science, technology and innovation in driving the country’s quest to modernise and industrialise.

At every forum, he does not miss an opportunity to exhort Zimbabwe to adopt innovation and technologies to spur development.

While officially opening the 27th Edition of the Mining, Engineering and Transport (Mine Entra) Expo in Bulawayo last week, he again emphasised the centrality of modern technologies to sustainable growth, productivity and positioning the country as a regional industrial giant.

“As you are aware, everything we depend on is either made from minerals or relies on minerals for its production,” he said.

“Minerals, from rare-earth elements to gold, platinum and lithium, are the building blocks of modern societies, with micro components of smartphones and larger modern materials required for electric vehicle manufacturing and renewable energy systems all dependent on the mining sector.”

Zimbabwe is blessed with bountiful mineral resources that not only provide critical feedstock for industry but can be value added or manufactured into goods that are needed by communities.

On its part, the Government has invested a lot of effort and resources to ensure that science, technology and innovation are at the centre of learning and industrial processes.

The promotion of Heritage-Based Education 5.0 has reoriented the country’s education from the previous rote learning system, based on memorisation, to one that promotes problem-solving skills and innovation.

And the setting aside of funds from the budget to promote research has been immeasurably impactful.

It has enabled the establishment of innovation hubs at the country’s institutions of higher learning, but critically, it has allowed many students to dream.

At the recent 7th SADC Summit Public Lecture that preceded the regional bloc’s indaba in Harare, President Mnangagwa encouragingly indicated that he was prepared to continue pouring funds to support the noble endeavour of researchers and inventors regardless of how many times they might fail in their projects.

The unveiling of the Harare Institute of Technology’s Tram Urban Mass Transportation System Proof of Concept and Research Centre on Friday emphatically shows the dividends of the Second Republic’s ambitious pursuits.

Further, it shows both the ingeniousness and inventiveness of our people, whose creative abilities have been unlocked through the new thrust.

This is clearly the answer to many of Africa’s challenges, Zimbabwe included.

The underdevelopment of the continent primarily lies in the mismatch of continued export of raw materials and imports of finished goods.

By exporting raw materials, Africa has been exporting jobs to other countries.

And being comfortable in importing things such as toothpicks is a serious indictment of our proclivity and nonchalance to be consumers rather than producers.

Little wonder the continent continues to struggle to industrialise.

So, developing capacity in research and technology will naturally help aid industrialisation, which is now a priority in the region.

But the private sector needs to be a willing participant in ongoing quest to produce local solutions for industry and communities.

It can help complement Government’s effort by funding research, particularly into solutions that might also be needed in industry.

It can also incubate and commercialise fledgling technologies.

So, there must be synergies between industry, research and institutions of higher learning.

The President made a similar exhortation when he officially opened the SADC Industrialisation Week in July.

“I challenge the private sector, small and medium enterprises, along with development partners, both in our country and the region at large, not to be mere spectators but to have confidence in the capabilities of our young people by supporting the commercialisation of innovative products, prototypes and new ideas,” he said.

Elsewhere in this publication, we carry a story of how the National Venture Capital Company is struggling to find resources to bankroll some of the promising projects that it has approved, which is unfortunate.

This is where the private sector should come in through seeing potential opportunities in the market.

One of the approved projects involves adding value to tomatoes in order to, in part, minimise post-harvest losses.

Overall, without active support, all these brilliant ideas will simply die on paper. We cannot expect Government alone to champion these initiatives — All of us should contribute to developing our country.