Staff reporter
Private players should take advantage of the Public-Private Partnerships framework put in place by the Government, which enables private players to profitably invest in public entities, Government has said.
President Mnangagwa said this after commissioning a new Lecture Block, a Student Health Centre as well as Student Service at Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences' inaugural graduation ceremony yesterday where he capped 114 students including one who graduated posthumously.
The President said that the Government was working towards ensuring that state of the art educational institutions were built across the nation and urged private players to take up the challenge and invest in such projects.
"This event is yet another demonstration that my Government accords great importance to quality and modern infrastructure within our institutions of higher learning. To this end, the Second Republic has facilitated and resourced the construction of an unprecedented number of facilities within our Universities and colleges across the country. We are determined to ensure that our learners, at every level, enjoy world class facilities within the education sector.
“I also invite the private sector to partner with Government in the construction of halls of residence for students in order to meet the demand for more accommodation infrastructure. In this regard, I urge private players to take advantage of the Public-Private Partnerships framework put in place by my Government, which enables private players to profitably invest in public entities", said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa said that the Government was more than ready to fund and support projects in universities and other institutions of higher learning and appealed to stakeholders in various industries to help contribute in the development of higher learning institutions.
"My Government will continue funding and supporting infrastructure development and other programmes in our State Universities and other institutions of higher learning. I appeal to stakeholders from this province and beyond, to partner my Government and contribute to the development of the Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences, as well as other institutions across the country. This will further enhance synergies that exist between industry and our institutions of higher learning,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President challenged academics and professors to match this development with equal levels of inventiveness and tenacity in generating new knowledge, advancing skills, competencies, and designing systems that sustainably produce goods and services to meet the needs of the people.
