Story by Bruce Chahwanda, Political Editor
PRESIDENT Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa has commissioned the Mutoko Bioeconomy Industrial Park, a landmark value-addition project designed to transform university research into commercially viable enterprises, create jobs and accelerate Zimbabwe’s industrialisation drive towards Vision 2030.
The industrial park, spearheaded by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, is expected to drive rural industrialisation through science, innovation and the commercialisation of locally developed technologies, in line with the Second Republic’s modernisation agenda.
The facility will convert research and innovation into practical industrial solutions that support economic growth while unlocking value from locally available biological resources.
The industrial park is operated by Finealt Engineering, a company established from research conducted by Zimbabwe’s universities and polytechnic institutions to commercialise home-grown technologies.
Finealt Engineering will establish rural bioeconomy industrial parks across the country, produce sustainable bioeconomy products, develop feedstock and livestock estates, procure raw materials from local out-growers, conduct research into bioeconomy technologies and train apprentices from rural districts in practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
The Mutoko Bioeconomy Industrial Park is also expected to promote value addition and beneficiation of biological resources, reduce dependence on imports, strengthen domestic production and enhance Zimbabwe’s competitiveness in regional and international markets.
The commissioning marks another milestone in the implementation of the Second Republic’s innovation-led industrialisation agenda, which seeks to harness science, technology and research to drive sustainable economic transformation.
