The Director of Research and Development for the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), Colonel Farai Taruvinga, stressed the crucial need for close collaboration in research and development between academia and the defence forces to decisively address contemporary security issues and drive the modernisation of military affairs.
This appeal for intensified collaboration was articulated during a meeting to review the Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) between ZDF and the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) at the Institute’s Innovation Hub on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Colonel Taruvinga emphasised the imperative for the military to work closely with academia to address contemporary security issues and national challenges and to proactively explore the new threats and opportunities presented by emerging technologies. He underscored that academia must play a central role in addressing national defence and security issues, including the development of risk-reduction strategies to create effective and sustainable solutions.
During the MoU review meeting, HIT’s Pro Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Willard Gwarimbo, called for deeper research and more meaningful engagement on contemporary security issues.
The two parties agreed to not only expand and enhance the scope of the MoU but also to collaborate on concrete research efforts. They also committed to including public lectures on cybersecurity, enrolling ZDF staff in HIT undergraduate and post-graduate programmes, and establishing research fellowships.
They also agreed to work together to address food security, develop sensor technologies, implement drought mitigation strategies such as cloud seeding, manufacture two-way radio communication devices, design engineering architecture suitable for combat vehicles within the local terrain and environment, and produce vehicles resistant to specific weapons. Additionally, they discussed issues related to intellectual property, artificial intelligence, and lithium beneficiation.
Furthermore, they resolved to secure adequate funding and establish working committees for specific projects.
ZDF Commander, General Valerio Sibanda, and HIT Vice Chancellor, Professor Engineer Quinton Kanhukamwe, solidified their commitment to collaborate in research and development in the engineering and technology fields by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in February 2020.
