PREPARATIONS for the 2025 Presidential Innovation Fair are at an advanced stage, with universities, colleges, innovation hubs and private-sector partners confirming their participation ahead of the event, a Cabinet minister has said.
The government will host the third edition of the Presidential Innovation Fair tomorrow, with outcomes expected to inform key national policies, including Vision 2030 and the forthcoming National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2).
Addressing the media in Harare, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development minister Frederick Shava said this year’s edition would demonstrate cutting-edge technologies developed under the country’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model.
“The public can expect a diverse range of innovations across health, agriculture, energy, engineering, ICT, robotics, clean technologies, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, which are practical solutions developed by Zimbabwean innovators to address national and global challenges,” he said.
Shava said the fair supported Vision 2030 by accelerating innovation-led industrial growth and facilitating the transition from NDS 1 to NDS 2.
“…government will strengthen the commercialisation of research, deepen innovation ecosystems and expand rural industrialisation through the hub-and-spoke model, and, therefore, this fair is a key milestone in our policy implementation,” he said.
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Shava added that the government had expanded support for youth innovators, who would be given a dedicated exhibition zone to accelerate start-up growth.
He said rural industrialisation remained central to NDS 2, with innovations to be displayed being evaluated for their suitability for agro-processing, renewable energy and other rural industries under the hub-and-spoke model.
“Government has directed that all funded innovations be closely monitored along their commercialisation journey and strengthen incubation frameworks, patent support, industrial testing facilities, and linkages with industry,” he said.
“Our goal is for every innovation to generate economic value, create enterprises and contribute to exports.”