Zim must set up innovation hubs
EDITOR — Zimbabweans are hard working people. They strive by all means to make ends meet.
We have young and old people who can bring the glory of our nation which will not hide from other nations, as it will be like a city planted on top of a hill.
My fellow countrymen strive by all means to make sure they feed their families. Yes, the economic conditions are harsh but we have innovative minds in our nation.
Mr Busisa Moyo is one of them, the Chief Executive Officer of United Refineries Limited . He has turned around the fortunes of the URL.
United Refineries Ltd produces fast moving consumer goods such as cooking oils. The company was founded in 1946 and its headquarters is Bulawayo. Many firms closed all their operations in Bulawayo and across the nation but URL is still standing and growing big as an international brand.
When the river is flooded some people have techniques of how to cross over to other side and skills on how to counter the strong currents of water. In our land we have people who are not moved by mountains of economic hardships and the CEO of United Refineries is one of them. Besides being a CEO of URL, Mr Moyo is a pastor and sits on several corporate boards.
Martin Luther King Jr once said: “I have a dream that one day people will understand, that English is a language not a measure of intelligence.’’
I encourage fellow countrymen not to be deterred by their lack of proficiency in English or their level of education, to trace their steps to success.
Chikumbutso has become the first Zimbabwean to design and make an electric powered vehicle and a hybrid helicopter among other gadgets through his company SAITH Technologies.
A Form 2 dropout, Chikumbutso was born and bred in the high density suburb of Kuwadzana in Harare. The biggest of his inventions is his Greener Power Machine (GPM) which is set to revolutionise the energy sector.
An invention involves an inventive step if, when compared with what is already known, it would not be obvious to someone with a good knowledge and experience of the subject.
I believe it’s high time we come up with innovation hubs in our country. If we don’t harness the skills and innovative ideas of our people other nations will lure them with huge incentives, reaping rewards from from our sweat.
I urge our Government and the corporate world to set up innovation hubs. We should not procastinate and wait for foreign institutions to establish their own innovation hubs.
Their expertise and input are highly recommended yet this should take place when we have established our own platform at grassroots levels.
What I am saying is that we should have passion on the innovation hubs before “sponsors” from International community come in with there expertise and inputs.
Let us continue thinking out of the box and come up with our own innovations as Zimbabweans . Enos Denhere, Motivational Speaker and Entrepreneur