By Pretty Manyewe
President Emmerson Mnangagwa today toured the University of Zimbabwe Innovation Hub and Agro-Industrial Park with Cabinet members today with the aim of showing the Education 5.0 at work.
UZ converted part of their farm land into an industrial park and it was built in record time.
The ground was first cleared for the site in February 2020 and the building of the park was completed in December 2020.
The idea behind the industrial park was to expose students to industry, so they gain practical experience during their studies in line with the Government Education 5.0 Policy.
Education 5.0 focuses on the delivery of a higher and tertiary education system that generates knowledge for the production of goods and services through teaching, research, community outreach, innovation and industrialization.
Addressing delegates, the President Mnangagwa said the direction higher education in the country was taking, will take the country into a modern, industrialized and more developed country by 2030.
“It is encouraging to witness strides made by the University towards actualisation of Education 5.0.
The successful establishment and operationalization of the Innovation Hub and Agro-Industrial Park is commendable and a demonstration of the determination and focus of the leadership of the University,” said President Mnangagwa.
“I applaud the University for the Graduate Innovator Programme Model which has become the flagship programme contributing to our country’s first generation Start-ups. These and other successes are a demonstration of how young people can be harnessed to innovate, invent, establish and generate intellectual property for the good of the economy,” the President added.
The Industrial Park is set to produce crude oil and refined cooking oil, animal feed, washed potatoes, bread and starch products that will benefit the whole supply chain from the farm table.
The President went on to encourage the students under the program to attractively brand, package and market their products to effectively penetrate various markets.
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