Wetskills 2023

The Civil and Water Engineering Department proudly participated in the inaugural Wetskills Challenge Zimbabwe 2024, hosted in Bulawayo from 13–26 September 2024. Organised by the Wetskills Foundation in partnership with Bulawayo City Council and NUST, the two-week programme convened 22 young professionals and students from Zimbabwe, Ghana, and the Netherlands to collaborate in interdisciplinary teams tackling real-world water challenges intensified by climate change. Key focus areas included water scarcity, water quality degradation, droughts and floods, sustainable agriculture, climate-smart solutions, water reuse, catchment management, and innovative water resource management strategies.

The Wetskills Water Challenge is a globally recognised, intensive two-week “pressure-cooker” programme founded in the Netherlands in 2010. It brings together international, multidisciplinary teams to develop practical, innovative solutions to real-life water cases submitted by companies, NGOs, and government institutions. Participants are grouped into transcultural teams and assigned specific challenges requiring out-of-the-box, technically feasible, and economically viable solutions. The programme culminates in a high-profile pitch and poster presentation session before a jury of experts, often held alongside major international water conferences.

NUST’s participation in this landmark Zimbabwe edition underscores its commitment to advancing practice-oriented engineering education, fostering innovation, strengthening professional networks, and promoting youth-led resilience in water and climate sustainability both locally and globally.