President Emmerson Mnangagwa has urged Zimbabwe to fully capitalize on its abundant natural resources by transforming them into tangible products through research and innovation.
"It is not enough for us to talk about having abundant minerals and other natural endowments without translating these into tangible products," Mnangagwa said at the Second Presidential Innovation Fair 2024 Awards Ceremony in Harare on Wednesday.
The leader emphasized the importance of building robust value chains in key sectors like mining, agriculture, drug discovery, and advanced technologies.
Highlighting the growing collaboration between businesses and state-owned enterprises with universities and colleges, the President commended the increasing number of patents, copyrights, and trademarks registered in local institutions of higher learning.
This, he noted, has spurred the emergence of numerous start-up companies from innovation hubs and industrial parks. Mnangagwa also stressed that innovation, driven by a strong science, technology, research, and development ecosystem, is crucial for Zimbabwe's modernization and industrialization.
"The current era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by both digital and technological transformation, further gives urgency to our national endeavors in this regard," he emphasized. "It is through innovation that sustainable economic growth can be realized, the quality of life improved, and scientific discovery scaled up."