Lusitânia Pupils Take Traffic Innovation to Africa Skills Week

By Southerton Business Times Reporter, Harare

Primary school pupils from Harare are showcasing a proposed traffic solution at Africa Skills Week 2026, demonstrating how early STEM education can help young people develop practical responses to challenges facing their communities.

The pupils, from Lusitânia Primary School, exhibited a working model of a proposed flyover at the Chiremba Road and Robert Mugabe Road intersection, designed to ease traffic congestion and reduce fatal road accidents. The project was among the exhibits presented on the opening day of Africa Skills Week, running from October 12 to 16 at the Harare International Conference Centre.

Organised by the African Union Commission in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe, the event was officially opened by President Emmerson Mnangagwa under the theme “Skills for Resilient and Competitive African Industries: From Training to Value Creation”. The initiative reflects the Government’s efforts to promote innovation through Education 5.0, innovation hubs, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, and digital skills development.

Skills Audit and Development Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said the week was intended to connect young innovators with institutions and stakeholders capable of supporting their ideas.

“It will bring together institutions, industry and young innovators with policy makers, investors and partners,” he said. “Africa Skills Week is about turning training into jobs, enterprises and shared prosperity for our young people.”

Representing Harare Metropolitan Province, Lusitânia Primary School’s STEM and Robotics Club presented a model incorporating timber, recycled plastics and artificial foliage. The model is powered by solar energy and includes a proposed camera system designed to detect traffic violations, monitor accidents and alert emergency response teams.

Lusitânia head of academics Dr Patricia Gonde said the project demonstrated the importance of developing practical skills from an early age. “Practical skills begin at home and are given clear direction in primary school,” she said. “At Lusitânia, our strength lies in nurturing these foundational science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills from an early age.”

Project mentors Kilford Mukarati and Kathleen Chipadza said the model represented months of research and problem-solving by the pupils. The project has already received recognition at several levels, winning first place at the Harare District STEM Competition before securing top honours at provincial level. It was also showcased at the National Research Symposium in July and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in August.

For the learners, the proposed flyover addresses a familiar problem: traffic congestion on roads used daily by commuters and motorists. Pupil Zuva Chibaya explained that artificial intelligence was central to the proposed monitoring system, which would track vehicles and their movements. Another learner, Kayla Siwela, said the design envisaged connecting the system to a nearby station to help ensure a quicker response when incidents occur.

Although still presented as a school model, the project illustrates how young learners can apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges, while exploring the potential role of technology in road safety and traffic management. Africa Skills Week provides a platform for such ideas to reach a wider audience, bringing pupils and other innovators into discussions about skills development, industrial growth and solutions to Africa’s development challenges.

The Lusitânia pupils’ exhibit also highlights the potential of practical STEM education to nurture problem-solvers who can begin addressing local challenges long before entering the professional engineering field.

Lusitânia pupils traffic innovation