Opinion: Revisiting University Mandates: Why Zimbabwe Needs Specialised Universities for Vision 2030

MSU GWERU MAIN CAMPUS GWERU

By Samuel Mwale

Each year, following the release of Zimbabwe’s Advanced Level examination results, as witnessed again in 2025, the country enters a familiar period of heightened activity as universities urgently compete to enroll successful students. Yet this annual scramble underscores a deeper and longstanding structural concern within the higher education sector, the widespread duplication of academic programmes across state universities. Instead of offering diverse and differentiated academic pathways, most public institutions continue to present almost identical portfolios, dominated by commerce, humanities, and social sciences. Zimbabwe indeed boasts a commendable number of state-owned universities, reflecting the government’s commitment to expanding education and human capital development.

However, a closer examination of these institutions reveals a concerning trend of homogeneity. Nearly every university now offers similar programmes irrespective of its founding mandate. Even institutions originally established for highly specialised purposes, such as science and technology, agriculture, engineering, or medical innovation, have gradually drifted toward general academic replication. This mission drift has contributed to a national university system characterised by uniformity rather than strategic differentiation, undermining its potential to drive innovation, industrialisation, and sector-specific expertise.

Against this backdrop, this article examines the case for establishing and strengthening

specialised universities in Zimbabwe. It argues that the country’s development agenda requires a decisive shift away from broad, generalist institutions toward a more focused, mandate-driven higher education ecosystem capable of producing the specialised skills essential for national transformation.

Problem Statement

The current model of non-differentiated universities in Zimbabwe poses several

structural and developmental challenges:

• Dilution of Mandates: Universities established for specific purposes, such as science and technology, have increasingly adopted non-core disciplines like

• Commerce and arts: This mission drift weakens focus and confuses institutional identity.

•  Resource Fragmentation: Replication of similar degree programmes across universities results in inefficient use of limited national resources, laboratories, qualified lecturers, and infrastructure that could otherwise be pooled into centres of excellence.

•  Weak Research and Innovation Output: When all universities chase similar academic offerings, the system fails to generate specialised research, patents, and innovations that drive national transformation.

•  Graduate Saturation: The country continues to produce thousands of graduates in fields already oversupplied, such as business management, while critical sectors like Artificial Intelligence (AI), biotechnology, precision agriculture, and renewable energy suffer acute skills shortages.

• Global Misalignment: Internationally, countries such as Ukraine, China, and Germany have established specialised institutions of medical universities, agricultural academies, and technical universities, each serving as a hub of innovation in their domain. This approach allows for depth, expertise, and measurable impact on national economies.

Why Specialisation Matters

Specialised universities serve as innovation anchors within a country’s higher education

ecosystem. When a university focuses on a defined niche, for instance, Information

and Communication Technology (ICT), Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or

Agricultural Engineering it:

•  Develops Deep Expertise: Concentrated focus allows for world-class mastery

  and leadership in a single field.

•  Attracts Targeted Investment: Governments and development partners are

  more willing to fund specialised institutions with clear mandates.

•  Drives Industry Partnerships: Industries seeking technological or agricultural

  solutions can easily identify and collaborate with the right institutions.

 Enhances Global Competitiveness: Graduates from specialised institutions are better aligned with emerging global skill demands.

In a rapidly digitalising world, Zimbabwe urgently needs dedicated universities that lead in ICT, AI, and data sciences areas that are reshaping industries, governance, and social life worldwide. Similarly, a University of Agricultural Sciences could pioneer precision farming technologies and climate-smart solutions vital for food security.

Recommendations

a) Reaffirm and Enforce Founding Mandates: The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education should ensure that universities remain faithful to their statutory mandates. Science and technology universities must primarily produce scientists and technologists.

b) Rationalise Programme Offerings: Conduct a national audit of university programmes to eliminate unnecessary replication and encourage strategic diversification across institutions.

c) Establish Specialised Centres of Excellence: Transform selected universities

into specialised hubs, for example:

i. Zimbabwe University of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science

ii. National School of Agriculture and Food Security

iii. Zimbabwe School of Health and Biomedical Sciences

iv. University of Renewable Energy and Climate Technologies

d) Promote Strategic Partnerships: Encourage collaborations between specialised universities and relevant industries to align research with the national economic priorities.

e) Align Funding Models: Allocate resources based on strategic focus and impact potential rather than student numbers alone.

Conclusion

Zimbabwe’s vision of becoming an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 depends heavily on a skilled, innovative, and technologically adept workforce. Achieving this requires moving beyond a “one-size-fits-all” higher education model toward a system that prizes depth over breadth.

Specialised universities will not only reduce replication and improve resource efficiency but also position the country as a regional hub for innovation and excellence in targeted disciplines. The time has come for Zimbabwe to rethink, refocus, and reimagine its higher education landscape, transforming universities from degree factories into engines of specialised knowledge and national progress.

Samuel Mwale writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted

On email: smwale2612@gmail.com

Mobile/ WhatsApp: +263773435974

Specialised universities in Zimbabwe