TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes, Joram Gumbo has praised the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) for building a Technovation Centre, which will promote technological development in various sectors of the economy.
The centre will be utilised by academics, business, and students to develop a variety of ideas for promoting economic growth.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa laid the foundation stone last year. The Technovation Centre, which is now 88% complete, will be completed by November this year.
Speaking after a tour of NUST last week, Gumbo said other tertiary educational institutions should imitate what NUST has accomplished.
“Government hope that the model set by NUST will be replicated at other higher and tertiary education institutions as it has proven to be cost effective and efficient.
“ As institutions will have total control of the construction value chain and would also address the scourge of profiteering by some contractors,” he said.
Gumbo said the real challenges for sustainable development in the country were the promotion of economic and industrial development.
“Despite the strides that have been made to reform the education system, tertiary institutions constantly need to be examined to determine whether the system is relevant in the context of rapid social and economic changes in the country.
“The real challenges for sustainable development in the country are the promotion of economic and industrial development, eradication of poverty, climate change, water energy and the optimum use of natural resources,” he said.
Gumbo said companies should consider prioritising local contractors to promote their businesses.
“ Government has always encouraged implementing ministries, departments and agencies to prioritise local contractors in order to promote the growth and viability of the local construction industry and the creation of more jobs in the sector.
“ I have been advised that for this particular project, NUST itself is the main contractor and is driving most of the construction projects on campus,” Gumbo said.
The NUST Technovation Centre will operate within the framework of research and implementation incubation centres.
Speaking at the same event, the Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Judith Ncube said the Technovation Centre, is the first project that the university is constructing under a new model where the university is the main contractor.
NUST shall be constructed by its own employees with support from the government,” Ncube said.
NUST is supposed to have 27 buildings but only seven have been completed and some of them have reached a dilapidated state.
Construction work at NUST had been stagnant for almost 18 years.
