By Wallace Mawire
The Zimbabwe Tertiary Education Service Council has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Agreement for Harare Polytechnic with Ningbo Polytechnic University and Huayou Cobalt Company of China. Deborah Ruziwa, Acting Principal, Harare Polytechnic said the agreement marks a new chapter in their partnership and will guide their collaboration in skills development, technology transfer and industry-academia linkage.
She said the tripartite agreement is a direct extension of the Future of Africa-China TVET Cooperation Programme. Ruziwa said from 2022 to 2026,Ningbo Polytechnic University partnered with Harare Polytechnic to implement the China-Zimbabwe Applied Talent Joint Teaching Programme.
“We are grateful for the results of that collaboration. Our staff and 90 students benefited through joint projects, shared knowledge, exposure to advanced technology and cultural enrichment, ” she said.
According to her, 60 students from the first two cohorts have secured job placements with three Chinese companies operating in Zimbabwe, namely Dinson lron and Steel Company, Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe and Arcadia Technology Zimbabwe.
The signing ceremony witnessed the establishment of the Zimbabwe Alumni Association to ensure that the bonds formed through the programme remain strong and graduates continue to support each other and the partnership according to Ruziwa.
She said Harare Polytechnic is honoured that the Sino-Zimbabwe Engineering Technology Academy and the Zimbabwe LUBAN Workshop will be sited at their institution. She said this will give them access to high quality platforms and resources and strengthen Zimbabwe’s TVET sector by producing high-level technical and skilled talent in line with the country’s Education 5.0. programme.
Ruziwa reaffirmed the institutions commitment to building a partnership that is practical, sustainable and impactful for both Zimbabwe and China.
Dr Engineer Tafadzwa Mudondo, Secretary for Tertiary Education Service in Zimbabwe on the occasion of the signing ceremony said the Chinese delegation visit to Zimbabwe is a culmination of background discussions and negotiations that have been ongoing since May 2025. He said the discussions are building on the structures already laid between Harare Polytechnic and Ningbo Polytechnic University since 2019.
“This gives new momentum to our cooperation in technical and vocational education knowledge exchange and technology transfer, ” Dr Engineer Mudondo said.
He thanked the President of Ningbo Polytechnic University and Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Company Ltd for being true to their promise.
Mudondo said the team had shown that partnership means walking together, co-implementing , co-creating and co-development and not just signing documents.
He added that the collaboration sits within the broader framework of the Chinese Belt and Road initiative which seeks to connect nations through infrastructure, trade and human capital development. For Zimbabwe he said said it translates into practical cooperation that delivers skills, technology and opportunity as they journey towards the country’s Vision 2030.
Mudondo extended gratitude to the government of Zimbabwe and the People’s Republic of China for creating an enabling environment that allows institutions to forge meaningful collaborations for the benefit of both nations. Madondo said.
He said with policy support, diplomatic facilitation and shared commitment to people-to-people exchange, such agreements would not be possible.
The friendship between Zimbabwe and China, according to Dr Engineer Mudondo is rooted in a shared history of solidarity and mutual respect that dates back to Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
He said during those formative years, China stood firmly with the people of Zimbabwe, providing political and material support in the fight for independence and self determination.
He added that the foundation of trust and brotherhood has endured evolving into a comprehensive partnership that spans education ,technology, trade and people-to-people exchange.
“Honouring this legacy reminds us that our cooperation is not transactional, but built on a long standing commitment to support each other’s development and sovereignty, ” Mudondo said.
At the signing ceremony, Mudondo revealed that they were elevating an existing partnership following the expiration this year of the five year Memorandum of Agreement between Harare Polytechnic and Ningbo Polytechnic University.
He also said that rather than ending it, they are expanding it to include all eight polytechnics in Zimbabwe opening a new chapter for technical and vocational education and training polytechnics so that no one and no place is left behind according to the Presidium’s motto.
Zimbabwe’s Tertiary Education Services Council will coordinate and facilitate to ensure smooth implementation, equitable access and alignment with national standards and National Strategic Development Two pillars, according to Dr Engineer Mudondo.
He said Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy Two places skills development, innovation digitalization and industrialization at the centre of a path to an upper Middle lncome Economy by 2030.
He added that the country’s Education 5.0 philosophy demands graduates who are innovative, entrepreneurial and industry ready and the partnerships are bound to address some of the requirements.
Mudondo said the philosophy advances skills acquisition grounded in industry practice and accelerates technology transfer that equips institutions to train for the 21st century economy.
He added that it shifts polytechnics from teaching theory to producing solutions.
The partnership between Zimbabwe and China is expected to drive cultural exchange, transfer of knowledge and technology joint curricula development, joint publication, dual certification and joint talent identification and development.
Graduates are expected to gain qualifications recognized both in Zimbabwe and China and students will be trained on latest technology and processes aligned to real industry standards. They will also be attached in companies such as Huayou Cobalt Company.
Capacity Building for lecturers is also embedded in the arrangement.
Mudondo said through joint training, attachments and curriculum co-development educators will be upskilled to deliver at the level required by modern industry.
“Without empowered lecturers, no agreement can be sustainable through Sino-Zimbabwe Applied Talent Joint Teaching Programme, hence institutionalization and domestication of such initiatives is fundamental, “Dr Engineer Mudondo said.
He added that the cooperation agreement includes jointly establishing the Sino-Zimbabwe Engineering Technology Academy and the LUBAN Workshop at Harare Polytechnic as national assets.
All polytechnics in the country are expected to share curricula, staff training student exchanges and advanced facilities through the coordination of the Tertiary Education Services Council.
The unveiling of the plaque was done by the Ambassador of China in Zimbabwe after the signing, marking the permanent signature of the partnership at the same ceremony To institutionalize the work, the Ningbo Polytechnic University and Harare Polytechnic Association was also established during the signing ceremony.
The platform will coordinate implementation, monitor progress and safeguard continuity beyond individual project cycles.
The first cohort of students who were the pioneers of the partnership between Harare Polytechnic and Ningbo Polytechnic University also received diplomas as part of the signing ceremony. Also an alumni association was launched on the same day.
Mudondo said the alumni would ensure continued friends beyond the workshops and laboratories.
The Tertiary Education Service Council under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development in Zimbabwe committed itself to ensure that the tripartite agreement becomes a success story at the signing ceremony.
Dr Engineer Mudondo said to the polytechnic sector in Zimbabwe that a window has been opened and said it is paramount that they implement with accountability and ensure that the benefits reach deserving students, lecturers and institutions across the country.
“May this agreement stand as a living testament that when Zimbabwe and China walk together as partners in education and innovation, we do not just train skills for today, we build the future of our two nations, together, ” Dr Engineer Mudondo said.
