2024 Presidential Innovation Fair to highlight benefits of Education 5.0
THE second Presidential Innovation Fair designed to showcase the strides that Zimbabwe is making through innovations anchored on the Heritage Based Education 5.0 philosophy will be held in the first quarter of this year.
The inaugural Presidential Innovation fair was held in April 2023 in the capital.
The Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Ministry said the Presidential Innovation Fair is now an annual event.
“It is proposed that the 2024 Presidential Innovation Fair be held in the first quarter of the year, preferably before the end of March, subject to confirmation by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC),” the ministry said.
“The 2024 Presidential Innovation Fair will be held at a venue neutral to the participating institutions.”
This annual showpiece will bring together higher and tertiary education, innovation, science and technology institutions, government and private institutions, students both in local institutions and abroad, and private individuals both based locally and in the diaspora to exhibit innovations that are market-ready or are already at commercialisation stage and making significant interventions to meet the needs and challenges of the Zimbabwean citizens.
The 2024 Presidential Innovation Fair aims to build and reinforce a thriving innovation ecosystem through exhibitions and expos of current work from Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology institutions, government and private institutions, students both in local institutions and abroad, and private individuals both based locally and in the diaspora.
It also aims to attract venture capital from both local and international players and to create an environment that permits ideas sharing, benchmarking and standardisation of innovation initiatives within the various institutions. The ministry also said the fair aims to recognise innovation efforts within the Zimbabwean context.
Recognition will be given to institutions and individuals leading in the innovation landscape through the Presidential Innovation Awards.
The Presidential Innovation Awards seek to encourage high-level and quality innovation within the institutions and by individuals.
The Second Republic has been working round the clock to transform higher education in Zimbabwe to promote the production of qualified specialists and technicians especially in the natural and applied sciences, engineering and technology, the medical and health sciences, and agriculture, among other critical sectors.
The Government largely sees tertiary education a key driver of economic growth and poverty reduction as it plays a critical role in training a qualified and adaptable labour force, generating new knowledge through basic and applied research and promoting use of new and emerging technologies.
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