The Sunday News
Sharon Munjenjema, Harare Bureau
Government has secured funding from ten international and local investors to construct four new universities, a Cabinet minister has said.
The investors are now awaiting Cabinet approval to begin work. The new political administration has revived plans to construct the Pan-African Minerals University of Science and Technology (PAMUST), which risked suffering a stillbirth after failing to take shape since its commissioning in 2015.
With a new brief to ensure that higher and tertiary education contributes to the country’s economic development and modernisation, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development has begun rolling out industrial parks in all institutions of higher learning.
In an interview last week, Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the final deals are expected to be signed next month.
“Cabinet has approved a list of investors who will start work on PAMUST, Marondera, Gwanda and Manicaland universities.
We are doing detailed discussions with them, the final deals will be signed by the second week of July,” said Prof Murwira.
The construction of PAMUST’s campus, which will be located in Hatcliffe, is set to begin by year-end. The institution will be dedicated to training experts for value addition and mineral beneficiation, in line with Government’s heritage based-approach to science and technology development.
PAMUST will be part of the network of Pan-African Institutes of Science and Technology located across the African continent, which also includes the Tanzania-based Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST).
A council of the university will be appointed soon, with members drawn from the international and local community, Minister Murwira said.
“I have drafted some names, I will forward them to Cabinet for approval by the President. When he gives me the green light, we will appoint them formally. They are 10 — we are avoiding having a bloated council,” he said.
Under the envisaged arrangement, construction of the universities will be done on equity, with Government owning all the buildings, while the fees are shared with the investor.
Government recently approved the construction of industrial parks, which will feed off universities’ innovation hubs.
It is believed that patented, commercially viable ideas and projects will be referred to the planned industrial parks.
Professor Murwira said Government expects these projects to attract angel ventures and venture capital.
