Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
BINDURA University of Science Education Vice Chancellor, Professor Eddie Mwenje, has been named Best Performing Vice Chancellor for 2025, following a series of high-impact innovation and industrialisation projects at the institution.
The award was presented at a ceremony presided over by President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa, recognising Professor Mwenje’s leadership in advancing initiatives aligned with the Heritage-based Education 5.0 Model and Vision 2030.
The accolade comes amid growing support for performance-based contracts introduced by the Second Republic, which academics say are driving transformation through research, innovation and industrialisation.
Under Professor Mwenje’s leadership, the university has undergone a significant transformation, anchored on practical, production-oriented projects.
Among the flagship developments is an industrial park featuring a tablet, laptop and mobile phone manufacturing facility. The plant has a production capacity of 12 000 gadgets per day, with over 800 schools already ordering tablets, while several universities have placed orders for laptops.
The institution has also developed the “Chiringa” dashboard, a monitoring and evaluation tool now adopted by government and currently in use across 23 ministries.
“I would love to congratulate the Vice Chancellor for being the best performing vice chancellor for 2025. We want to thank him for giving us the opportunity to push innovation, which is at the innovation hub. We worked on the Palpo plant, and now products are reaching as far as Binga,” said BUSE Innovation Hub Manager, Mr Leo Hassan Ali.
“Amongst the projects he has done is this factory, which was made in Zimbabwe. Guided by his vision, we managed to make products that are reaching remote areas,” said Palpo Factory Supervisor, Mr Isiah Kanyimo.
Professor Mwenje attributed the recognition to teamwork and alignment with national development priorities.
“We are really excited about the vision of the country, Vision 2030, as enunciated by His Excellency, the President, and as Bindura University, we are just playing our part to ensure we contribute towards a prosperous and empowered society in line with Vision 2030. As a university, we are excited and more so we thank the government for the support we have received over the last five years to set up the industrial parks, to set up the innovation hubs,” he said.
Beyond manufacturing, the university has expanded community-focused services, including an optometry and audiology clinic, and developed “Titus”, an application capable of speaking 19 local languages. Construction of the Masawu Manufacturing Plant in Muzarabani is also nearing completion at 95 percent.
As Zimbabwe transitions from NDS1 to NDS2, the university says it is scaling up innovation-driven projects aimed at delivering tangible benefits to communities and contributing to national development.
