Mandate Brief

Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (ZIMDEF) was established by section23 of the Manpower Planning and Development Act of 1984 (now revised Manpower Planning and Development Act, Chapter 28:02 of 1996) with the mandate of funding the development of critical and highly skilled human capital in Zimbabwe.

ZIMDEF, under the direction of the Honourable Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science and Technology Development undertakes infrastructure development projects and innovation projects at selected institutions of higher learning. This has seen ZIMDEF funding the construction of innovation hubs at some of the country’s state universities among other projects

Notable among the infrastructure development and other projects funded by ZIMDEF are the following projects;

1. Construction of Innovation Hubs at the following institutions

• University of Zimbabwe
• Midlands State University
• National University of Science and Technology
• Chinhoyi University of Technology
• Harare Institute of Technology
• Great Zimbabwe University

2. Establishment of Midlands State University National Pathology and Diagnostic Research Centre
3. Construction of University of Zimbabwe Quinary Hospital
4. Establishment of Agro-Industrial Parks at the following universities

• Gwanda State University
• Lupane State University
• Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology

5. Funding the commercialisation of National University of Science and Technology (NUST)’s DNA Testing services.
6. Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) Cattle breeding & artificial insemination project.

ZIMDEF also fund the procurement of training equipment such as computers, computer accessories, engineering materials, workshop machinery, laboratory equipment and training consumables for institutions of higher learning.