US$500 million saved in Covid 19 imports

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter

Universities and colleges, through Government’s innovation and industrialisation agenda, have saved more than US$500 million on the country’s import bill in the fight against Covid-19 over the past two years by producing personal protective equipment and sanitisers as the Second Republic implements Education 5.0.

Education 5.0 seeks to have a heritage-based education system that can develop and produce quality goods and services through ensuring that Zimbabwe becomes an innovation-led and knowledge-driven economy by 2025 as espoused by the National Development Strategy 1.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the introduction of innovation hubs in universities has revolutionised the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa’s industrialisation and modernisation agenda.

Since the innovation hubs were unveiled in universities at the direction of President Mnangagwa more than 200 patents had been registered.

In an interview yesterday after he had given oral evidence before Parliament’s portfolio committee on Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development on the Amendment of State Universities Statutes Bill, he said: “If you also look at how we have responded to Covid-19, universities and colleges are the ones that produced all PPEs and sanitisers that this country used. 

“According to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development we saved over US$500 in imports. That is how the innovation hub is kicking in. If it was not of innovation how much were we going to pay in foreign currency in PPEs, sanitisers. It was then the nation realised the importance of Education 5.0,” said Prof Murwira.

“The concept of innovation hubs had already been received and was being implemented. In the first two years, we have filed more than 200 patents which shows that it’s working. University of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi University, Midlands State University have industrial parks. If you go to Marondera University of Agriculture, we are doing state-of-the-art irrigation infrastructure at Muchekeranwa dam where 260 hectares will be under high-tech irrigation by June this year.”

Production of oxygen through Verify Engineering in Manicaland province is another story that reflected how innovation hubs had transformed lives.

“You have seen Verify Engineering and you hear the President donating oxygen to Mozambique, Botswana and health centres, all that is a result of innovation. 

“If you look at other countries, where there is conflict in Ukraine they are running out of oxygen then you know that it is the number one medicine; first of all you need to breathe. You have seen the Marula plant in Mwenezi and we are doing much more. So this concept is done and already being implemented,” he said.

“Every institution must answer to the question: how are you contributing to national development? Otherwise it is a useless institution. So what we are doing in this Amendment of State Universities Statutes Bill is that we are making universities at the centre of this country’s economy as espoused by the President,” he said.

Harare Institute of Technology has produced a tap card used on Zupco buses and the fuel tracking system, said Prof Murwira.

“National University of Science and Technology will be making reagents for the tests for all these viral infections because they have a good biotechnology laboratory which we have funded as a Government. Lupane State University starting from this year have an innovation agro-industrial park in terms of dry land agriculture. 

“We are buying them about 10 000 birds which we have already given the money for. We have done the same for Gwanda, and Great Zimbabwe University.

We are doing goats at Bindura and we are doing cattle and artificial insemination at Chinhoyi University. So this whole thing is beginning to bear fruit,” he said.

Turning to the Amendment of State Universities Statutes Bill, Prof Murwira said it sought to create uniformity on the legal framework across all 13 State universities.

He said the Bill seeks to ensure that it equally speaks about innovation and industrialisation on the country through higher education institution in compliance with the Constitution and will provide a two term limit for Vice Chancellors.