Story by Peter Chivhima
THE University of Zimbabwe’s Agro-Industrial Park is setting a new standard for innovation and self-sufficiency in the country, emerging as a benchmark under the Education 5.0 model which has been adopted across the education sector.
The Park, located 10 kilometres from Harare’s Central Business District along Mazowe Road, has invested in national self-reliance and skills development, featuring a fully operational value chain that includes the production of stock feed and the processing of cooking oil and soya meal.
“The University of Zimbabwe’s Agro-Industrial Park is a true reflection of the impact of the Education 5.0 philosophy. We have the capacity to produce a wide range of essential products that directly contribute to the growth of our economy. We are manufacturing stock feeds, not only for our poultry production, but also for commercial sale, supporting both food security and industry. Most importantly, our students are the biggest beneficiaries, gaining critical hands-on skills, industrial exposure, and entrepreneurial knowledge that will empower them to drive national development beyond the classroom,” UZ Agro-Industrial Park Director, Dr Jacob Gusha stated.
It boasts a prestigious poultry operation, currently housing 60 000 broiler birds with the capacity to produce 100 000 every 42 days, as well as the capability to bake 20 000 loaves of bread daily using sweet potatoes cultivated on-site.
“In animal production, we learnt a lot because we have several departments, including beef, piggery, poultry, and horticulture. So while I am on industrial attachment here, I worked across those departments, gaining a lot of hands-on experience which will definitely help me when I leave this place,” a student said.
“As an engineering student, I am learning a lot from this facility. Just last week, we were doing maintenance work on some of the machines, and the experience we are gaining here is top-notch. It is giving us real industry exposure that will be valuable in our future careers,” another student added.
By embedding commercial productivity within an academic environment, the UZ Agro-Industrial Park is aligning perfectly with the government’s Vision 2030 giving Zimbabwe a competitive edge at a global scale.
