The Sunday Mail
Harmony Agere – Extra Reporter
Zimbabwe can achieve the rapid economic growth being enjoyed by countries like China and India if it prioritises commercialisation of research-based projects being undertaken by university and college students, experts say.
Students have been coming up with innovations that can boost production in different economic sectors, but many ideas fall by the wayside because learning institutions have not commercialised research.
Researchers have urged Government and the private sector to fund or buy research projects.
Some of the projects include pharmaceutical production using indigenous herbs, machine designing, and food production technologies.
Commercialisation of these projects simply means upgrading them from research initiatives into viable ventures either through Government or private support that makes them business. The Harare Institute of Technology recently announced plans to start commercial production of pharmaceutical drugs after successfully producing anti-depressants and cosmetics.
“As a country we brag about having bright brains but we are not putting those brains to good use,” said HIT communications and international relations director Mr Tinashe Mutema. “If you look at the projects that are being done here and in other colleges you see that we really have got the brains but as long as these projects are not given the funding to commercialise them, they will not benefit the country.”
Mr Mutema said what normally started as academic research could end as successful invention or discovery.
“What happens is that when students do various researches, in most cases for the benefit of their studies, they sometimes end up making breakthroughs which can solve some of the problems we have as a country.
“For example, the breakthrough in our pharmaceutical department can do a lot of good to the country. So when a research project is successful like that, it can reach a stage where it can successfully go commercial and that will help the economy grow.”
Another example of such innovation was on display during last month’s Harare Agricultural Show were a group of youths formed a company, Orgfert, that makes organic fertiliser. The fertiliser from pure chicken manure has not only proved efficient in growth of crops but is also affordable.
Orgfert general manager Mr Macdonald Muranda said they noticed the potential of organic fertilisers after a case study by a local NGO that assists farmers access affordable and non-hazardous inputs.
He said their organic fertiliser was great for both small-scale and commercial farmers. “We are getting the chicken manure from Lunar Chickens owned by former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono, who has that in abundance from his chicken business.
“Instead of throwing away the waste, we found a good use of the manure to manufacture this organic enriched fertiliser which is in demand due to emphasis on farmers to shift from using synthetic fertilisers to organic ones,” he said.
A farmer can use the fertiliser in two consecutive seasons, skip the third, and still get high yields as the previous application would still be in the soil. Japan and China have progressed technologically through research and motivating young people to explore innovation and invention.
Students will, for example, design a cereal harvester and sell it to the state or a private company. In the West, several big manufacturers and service providers started as college experiments. Think Facebook.
Experts say students are more innovative and more active when it comes to research as compared to those who are already in business.
Researcher and university lecturer Mr Liveson Simbabure said, “Our country is blessed with sharp minds, everywhere you go you see that people – even the least educated – are trying to do things for themselves through innovative ways,” he said. “But I don’t think those brilliant minds are being given enough support for them to show what they can do be it in design, agriculture or mining.
“If we commit to funding research, especially in colleges and universities, we could easily grow our economy just like what the Chinese and the Japanese did. We need to bridge that missing link between education and industry.” Research Council of Zimbabwe executive director Ms Susan Mutize says research is more than ever before the mainstay of socio-economic development.
“Worldwide, the level of a country’s investment in research has been known to have a direct correlation to the country’s level of socio-economic development. The United States, Germany, China, Brazil, India, Malaysia, South Korea and South Africa are just a few examples of countries that have realised astronomic levels of economic growth through establishment of well-co-ordinated programmes of research.
“In Zimbabwe, the national research system is characterised by limited financing. Thus, local national needs remain unaddressed. The Research Prioritisation Exercise is an attempt at directing the limited financial resources to local areas of need.”
According to a Harvard University report sponsored by the World Bank, African countries have largely neglected higher education in their developmental agendas.
The report says for several decades, development agencies have placed great emphasis on primary and, more recently, secondary education. But they have neglected tertiary education as a means to improve economic growth and fight poverty.
