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Zvamaida Murwira

Senior Reporter

THE Southern African Development Community must unlock value from its diverse resource endowments and create complementary business and trading niches to free the region from perpetual dependence, President Mnangagwa has said.

Delivering the 7th Sadc Public Lecture at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare yesterday, the President said as Africans with a rich history of development and exploits, including conquering oppressive racist colonial regimes from various territories, it was important for the region to commit itself to building and governing their respective countries.

“In Zimbabwe we say, ‘A country is built, governed and prayed for, by its people/ Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatigwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo.” 

“This underscores the weighty responsibility we all carry to drive development in our countries from both an individual and collective standpoint. Gone are the days where we depended on people from elsewhere to develop our economies, provide services for our communities and avail goods for our industries and commerce. The forebears and Founding Fathers of SADC fought for the political liberation, democracy, independence and freedom we are presently enjoying,” he said.

“This current generation of SADC citizens should take deliberate steps to exit perpetual dependency. It is at such forum that we should identify the goods being currently imported into the region so that our talented innovators and vibrant institutions can lead in import substitution. Through appropriate and timely research as well as relevant science, technology and innovation, new business and trade opportunities should be created for SADC to become a key player in the world of today and that of the future.”

President Mnangagwa said there was a need to open up and seize business opportunities created by regional economic blocs.

“Information relating to trade opportunities brought about by our emerging trading bloc, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), along with possible synergies with other Regional Economic Communities, should be made less opaque for the generality of our people. This is essential if we are to expand markets, and open new routes into the broader global economy,” he said.

“African Institutions such as Afreximbank and the African Development Bank, together with our respective financing and trade facilitation entities are challenged to scale up support and avail trade information for our people, especially youth and women-led industries.”

To harness the new opportunities, said President Mnangagwa, Sadc member states must sharpen capabilities around identified areas of comparative advantages. 

“We should create business and trading niches which are unique and yet complementary to the countries of our region. For example, the next industrial revolution will be powered by renewable energy, primarily driven by lithium and solar energy,” he said.

“For all the above to happen along with the accelerated modernisation and industrialisation, the right development philosophy is fundamentally important. This, in my view, lies in transforming our education and research ecosystem to be anchored on Science, Technology and Innovation.”

President Mnangagwa called on SADC countries to unlock value from their diverse resources.

“Sadc has unique opportunities that position us for success. We have all the requirements to become an economic powerhouse on the global arena. We are endowed with a rich resource-base, resilient and interconnected people, vast arable land for agriculture, a wide array of minerals, a good climate, abundant wildlife as well as a rich culture. Our task is to unlock value from these diverse resources that we collectively share as a bloc,” he said.

The President said the public lecture would afford the people of SADC an opportunity to reflect and sharpen strategies to accelerate the region’s collective vision towards deepening regional integration as well as economic development for shared prosperity.

“The theme of this Lecture; ‘Building Research Capacity and Innovation Ecosystems for a Sustainable Industrialised SADC Economy’, is an apt call to action and encapsulates the need for new paradigms of education to leap frog the modernisation, industrialisation and holistic development of SADC, anchored on Research, Science, Technology and Innovation,” he said.

“In the case of Zimbabwe, this urgent imperative reality saw us successfully implement our Heritage-Based Education 5.0 philosophy.”

President Mnangagwa said there was a need for SADC to reflect on the future it aspires, be clear on the needs of its people and what home-grown technologies are needed to industrialise.

“What should an industrialised Sadc look like, in terms of its characteristics, the goods and services to be produced and the quality of life and prosperity to be realised. These are the questions that should form the basis for challenging our academia, scientists, innovators and inventors together with skills training institutions,” he said.

“Accordingly, industrialists, business sectors, development practitioners as well as communities in general, must play their part to transform systems and models that are fit for the shared regional aspirations.”

In the last five years, said President Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe increased the number of Teacher Training Colleges that produce science teachers to ensure that all schools, in particular, those in the remote areas, offer science and ICT based learning in line with the Government’s mantra of leaving no place and no one behind.

“This has ultimately broadened the pool of students transitioning to Colleges and Universities, following the science and technology pathways. In this way, we are building the critical mass of scientists and technologists to deliver an Innovation-led and knowledge-based economy. Further, our heritage-based education diversified innovation ecosystems by strengthening linkages between the academia, industry and commerce,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said new technologies and start-up companies were producing relevant goods and services in response to the dynamic needs of industry, commerce and society.

“Notable entities that have emerged include Start-up companies in the local production of quality Vehicle Number Plates; science-based livestock production system for growing the national herd; a National Pathology Research and Diagnostic Centre for providing health diagnostic services; wine and juice producing plants from our local indigenous fruits; as well as another in the production of medical oxygen and industrial gases,” he said.

The event was attended by the two Vice Presidents, Cdes Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, Sadc executive secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, Government Ministers from Sadc countries, diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe, Vice Chancellors of Universities, captains of industry, among others.