Mako Jerera
President Emmerson Mnangagwa today officially opened the Zimbabwe Science Park 1 and the Zimbabwe NationalGeospatial and Space Agency housed at the University of Zimbabwe.
The two facilities co-exist to ensure that Zimbabwe has modern science capabilities necessary for the industrialization and mordenisation, which underpins Vision 2030.
The ZINGSA was established through the Research Act [Chapter 10:22] and mandated to promote the peaceful use of space and support the creation of an environment conducive for industrial development in space technology.
Speaking during the opening, President Mnangagwa said ZINGSA is a vital pillar in the country`s economy, as it allows efficient management of natural resources.
“The work of the ZINGSA will have a triggering effect on the country’s intellectual and human capital. The use of space technologies presents vast opportunities such as managing our abundant natural resources, environmental hazards and disasters, weather forecasting, climate change mitigation, food security and disease outbreak,” said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa said his administration is committed to achieving every promise it made to Zimbabwe.
“These achievements testify to fact that the 2nd Republic is walking the talk with regards to promoting innovation-driven development and accelerating scientific & technological innovation to propel our country’s modernisation and industrialisation agenda,” President Mnangagwa added.
ZINGSA will foster research in geospatial science and earth observation, space science, space engineering, communications, navigation and space physics and advance scientific, engineering and technological capabilities in space science and technology and foster international cooperation in space related activities.
The agency has been developed in a bid to increase research and innovation in the country.
The programmes form part of Zimbabwe’s modernisation and industrialisation agenda following the government’s Vision 2030.
If it launches, Zimbabwe will become the second country in the region to have a Space Agency, after South Africa.
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