PLASTIC container making, honey and fruit processing factories have been established at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) as the institution angles to play a critical role in Bulawayo’s re-industrialisation agenda.
Nust is leading the establishment of Bulawayo Technology
Centre which is a tripartite arrangement which involves Government and the
Bulawayo Polytechnic College.
The new factories are part of Zimbabwe and India
partnership. The Asian country sourced
the machines on behalf of Zimbabwe.
Government institutions have taken a lead in pulling in the
same direction to achieve the Second’s Republic’s vision of empowering every
citizen through deliberately partaking in practical activities that solve
society’s problems, under the industrialisation thrust.
The projects at the Bulawayo Technology Centre were
supposed to start running in 2020 but the outbreak of Covid-19 stalled the
mounting of the plant.
A Chronicle news crew yesterday toured the facility and observed
that most of the new equipment had been installed.
Indian technicians are also expected in the country to
complete the installation of the plant.
The news crew was taken through the honey processing,
plastic container manufacturing and fruit jam production processes and was
shown some of the plastic products that are made at the factory.
The university is able to produce various plastic
containers of up to 15 litres.
Honey processing is being done on a trial basis awaiting
certification by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.
Nust’s Pro-Vice Chancellor, Innovation and Business
Development Dr William Goriwondo said the establishment of the Bulawayo
Technology Centre is expected to benefit industry as well.
“The equipment is coming through as a partnership between
Zimbabwe and the Indian government. We call it the Indo-Zim partnership which
has brought machines here. We are establishing the Bulawayo Technology Centre
where we have various equipment that is going to be used to make various products
with Nust housing this equipment,” said Dr Goriwondo.
“We are also working with the Ministry of Higher and
Tertiary Education, Innovation and Technology Development as our parent
ministry and Bulawayo Polytechnic is involved as well. In terms of installation
of the equipment we have done most of the equipment and final touches are done
and we are working with engineers and technicians from India.”
He said local technicians will be trained to operate the
machinery by their Indian counterparts as part of skills transfer.
Technicians from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary
Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development have been deployed on
site.
Dr Goriwondo said Indian engineers are expected to teach
Nust academics how to fix the machines.
He said the plant is expected to be commissioned before the
end of the year.
“The installation is just starting. The machines have been
here through pre-Covid-19 era but could not be installed because the engineers
could not come. But after the lifting of the ban on travel we are finalising
the installation. At the moment we are just finalising the set up for
commissioning and we are saying by the end of this quarter we should be having
the machines running,” said Dr Goriwondo.
He could not quantify the cost of the machinery saying it
was a donation from the Indian government.
Dr Goriwondo said the products that are going to be
manufactured on site will support local industries.
He said universities will also produce commercial products
in response to what the market requires. Chronicle
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