Bulawayo, Zimbabwe — October 27, 2025
In a landmark move aimed at transforming Zimbabwe’s business landscape, the Graduate School of Business Sciences (GSBS) at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) officially launched its pioneering Consultancy Business Clinic last Friday at the ZITF Tea Room. The initiative, hailed as the first of its kind among academic institutions in Zimbabwe, is designed to monitor, assess, and prescribe solutions for the health of businesses across the country.
The launch event drew an impressive gathering of captains of industry, business executives, and academic leaders, all united by a shared vision of narrowing the gap between academia and the commercial sector. The Business Clinic arrives at a critical time when industry stakeholders have been calling for more collaborative engagement and practical partnerships with educational institutions.
A Platform for Transformation
Speaking at the launch, the Director of GSBS, Professor G.V. Nani, emphasised the transformative nature of the clinic:
“We are launching a business clinic with a flexible delivery approach, blended, accessible, and responsive to your schedule and context,” she said.
“The Business Clinic is not just a service, it is a platform for transformation. A space where ideas meet expertise, where challenges are diagnosed, and where solutions are co-created.”
Prof. Nani further highlighted the clinic’s broader mission calling for “businesses that are not only profitable, but purposeful. Let us nurture entrepreneurs who are not only skilled, but socially conscious. Let us create partnerships that are not only strategic, but transformative.”
Pro-Vice Chancellor, for Innovation and Business Development (IBD) at NUST, Professor Eng. W. Goriwondo, echoed these sentiments, describing the clinic as a “living laboratory of ideas, solutions and transformation.”
“The Business Consultancy Clinic is a reaffirmation of our commitment to bridging the gap between theory and practice, between classroom and the boardroom, and between research and real-world impact,” he said.
Advisory Board Endorsement
Dr. Nicholas Ndebele, Chairperson of the Consultancy Business Clinic Advisory Board, commended the initiative as a strategic leap forward:
“This milestone is not just a feather in the cap of the university; it is a bold statement of intent, a strategic commitment to practical, collaborative impact,” he said.
“This Clinic is the intentional intersection where two powerful forces, industry and academia, finally converge. It creates a high-velocity environment where faculty expertise and student talent are directly positioned to solve our most pressing business challenges.”
Dr. Ndebele also underscored the clinic’s potential to address critical gaps in the local consulting ecosystem:
“Closing this localisation gap by cultivating indigenous expertise and making consulting accessible to our SMEs is the key to unlocking the continent’s full economic promise.”
He concluded with a call to action:
“Together, we can, and we should, make this Consultancy Business Clinic a beacon of excellence and a driver of economic transformation.”
A Vision Aligned with National Goals
The initiative aligns with Zimbabwe’s national development goals, including Vision 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, both of which emphasize industrialisation, innovation, and human capital development.
Prof. Goriwondo spotlighted the Professor Phinias M Makhurane Technovation Centre, commissioned by President and Chancellor Dr. ED Mnangagwa, as a complementary innovation hub calling it more than just a building; but the launchpad for Zimbabwe’s industrial renaissance.”
Prof. Nani concluded by calling on the room to unite to “unlock Zimbabwe’s business potential, one consultation, one strategy, one breakthrough at a time.”
With the official declaration of the clinic’s opening, NUST has taken a bold step toward redefining the role of academia in national economic development, ushering in a new era of collaboration, innovation, and impact.
