President Mnangagwa congratulates Wonderful Chudu, a recipient of the Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Award for being the Overall Best Male Student at Great Zimbabwe University’s 17th Graduation ceremony in Masvingo yesterday. Looking on is Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira.
Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) has registered nine trademarks with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation in various disciplines, while six more are still pending as the Second Republic’s Education 5.0 continues to bear fruit in the use of research and innovation as a means to grow the economy.
This was said by GZU Vice Chancellor, Professor Rungano Zvobgo, during the graduation of 4 899 students in Masvingo at a colourful ceremony that was presided over by President Mnangagwa, the Chancellor of all State universities.
“Your Excellency, we are pleased to announce that we registered nine trademarks with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO).
Great Zimbabwe University graduands celebrate at the institution’s 17th graduation ceremony in Masvingo yesterday.
“These trademarks are in beverages, health supplements and skin care products. Another six have been filed for registration and await certification.
“Staff and students in the innovation hub have also developed other products including Chilli sauce, wezhira wine, jiri jam herbal mahewu and nyanda spice. The mass production of these products will create employment, avail affordable and improve the nutritional status of our people,” said Prof Zvobgo.
He also outlined several researches that the institution has registered.
These include several agro innovations that are at varying stages.
Some of the products include organic fertiliser produced from local heritage based solutions such as sugar cane filter cake mixtures.
“In an effort to contribute towards improved health and wellbeing our researchers have come up with herbal medicines from locally available indigenous plants. These formulations are ready for commercialisation and carry prospects of increased household incomes and employment creation for the surrounding communities. By extension we are currently manufacturing disinfectants for supply to the Masvingo community. The disinfectants are motivated by the desire to eradicate microbial infections after Covid-19 pandemic and provide economical, efficient and accessible home grown fumigation services,” said Prof Zvobgo.
Other innovations include language translator digital application that enhance communication between people of different languages in the country.
The university has also registered milestones in rural industrialisation and community development, said Prof Zvobgo.
The institution’s Chivi Centre for Dryland Agriculture launched its traditional grains milling company in Chiredzion on 3 August 2023.
“A total of 144 farmers in Chiredzi, Mwenezi, Masvingo, Chivi, Zaka and Gutu were contracted and supplied with seed during the 2022-2023 planting season. Equipment for a poultry abattoir to be established at the same site has been procured and delivered,” said Prof Zvobgo.
“Funding of US$267 000 was awarded by the parent Ministry to purchase traditional grains from contracted farmers and construction of 100 fowl runs, with a capacity of 100 birds each for them. The project is promoting mass production and mass consumption of indigenous products while leveraging on cultural heritage for industrialisation.”
Prof Zvobgo said GZU was playing its role in training broadcasters and media practitioners.
“Broadcasters from the 14 licensed Zimbabwean community stations received free training at our radio station. The training was aimed to promote solution journalism, a service that directly feeds into Vision 2030,” he said.
“Going forward, GZU is embarking on a very ambitious project to establish the first ever national centre of excellence in Journalism and Broadcasting. The centre will house the first campus television, radio station, students run newspaper and content hub under one roof. We are confident that this departure from traditional journalism training will further industrialise the media fraternity in Zimbabwe and subsequently contribute towards making Vision 2030 a reality.”
Prof Zvobgo said it was regrettable that while the university was losing staff and students due to various factors such as greener pastures and death, it was unfortunate that drug and substance abuse had also accounted to the loss of some students.
“Whereas the university has in place, a rigorous campaign against drugs and substance abuse, I am pleading with all adolescents and stakeholders to stop abusing drugs and other substances. I pray that the laws and penalties be made stiffer for drug peddlers who are causing unnecessary pain and suffering of families,” he said.
Turning to graduands, Prof Zvobgo said of the 4 899 students being capped 64,5 percent of them were female up from 61 percent last year.
Two students received the coveted Chancellor’s award for being overall best graduands.
They were Ms Sandra Tatenda Ndere who graduated with Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Crop science and Wonderful Chudu who was conferred with Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree in Hospitality, Tourism and Culture and both of them walked away with US$1 000 each.
Some of the graduands include Masvingo Remand Prison Second Officer ln charge who scooped the book prize award in the Master of Science Human Resources Management, Chief Correctional Officer Memory Shuro.
Two other junior officers from the Zimbabwe prisons and correctional services namely Jonathan Charambira and Sabina Chikwizo also scooped the book prize award in Peace and Governance and Psychology respectively.
Source Zimbabwe Situation
