By Admire Masuku
Two Angolan higher education institutions are seeking partnerships with Zimbabwean polytechnics and teachers’ colleges, as Angola and Zimbabwe look to deepen educational ties through student exchanges, collaborative research and innovation.
The proposed partnerships would expand staff and student exchange programmes, strengthen Portuguese and English language training, and promote collaboration in sports science, social sciences, technology and teacher education.
The institutions — Instituto Superior Politécnico Alvorecer da Juventude (ISPAJ) and the Sebastião Escola Superior Técnica de Ciências do Desporto (ESCID) — said they are eager to build long-term relationships with Zimbabwean counterparts as they seek to broaden academic cooperation within the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The engagements took place on the sidelines of the ongoing FILDA, where Zimbabwe’s higher and tertiary education institutions are promoting the “Study in Zimbabwe” campaign while pursuing partnerships in research, technology transfer and academic exchanges.
Zimbabwe’s Acting Permanent Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Memory Mukondomi, said the engagements demonstrated tangible progress in implementing commitments made under the Zimbabwe-Angola Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation.
“Our benchmarking exercises on our respective polytechnic and teacher education systems represent an important step towards strengthening educational cooperation between our two countries,” she said.
Mukondomi said Zimbabwe was ready to establish zero-cost twinning arrangements between teacher training institutions and polytechnics in both countries.
The model, she said, would enable lecturers and students to teach and learn Portuguese, English and indigenous African languages while promoting cultural exchange and preserving Africa’s linguistic heritage.
“These partnerships are built on reciprocity, shared expertise and mutual respect. They will produce educators who are better equipped to serve an increasingly interconnected continent without imposing additional financial burdens on either country,” she said.
Chief Director for Economic Cooperation, International Trade and Diaspora in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Rudo Faranisi, said the pace of implementation reflected the two governments’ determination to convert diplomatic agreements into practical outcomes.
“It is encouraging that only two years after the Joint Permanent Commission, we are already seeing concrete progress and meaningful engagement between our universities, polytechnics and colleges,” she said.
She added that Angola’s participation in the SADC Free Trade Area would further strengthen education, trade and economic integration across the region.
Angolan institutions said they viewed Zimbabwe as a strategic partner in expanding South-South cooperation.
José Sita Gomes, Director-General of ESCID, said his institution was keen to launch exchange programmes in physiotherapy, biotechnology and sports science.
Professor Albertino Candimba, President of ISPAJ, said the institution wanted to diversify partnerships beyond its traditional links with Cuba, Brazil and Portugal by working more closely with African institutions.
“We have common political, economic and social challenges. Africa must increasingly look to itself for solutions,” he said.
Professor Candimba proposed joint research programmes, staff and student exchanges, a Zimbabwe-Angola conference on research and innovation, and greater mobility for academics within SADC to help curb the continent’s brain drain.
He also highlighted ISPAJ’s partnership model with industry, under which private companies help train students, provide specialised services and contribute to infrastructure development — an approach Zimbabwean institutions identified as a valuable model for strengthening work-integrated learning.
Zimbabwean education officials said stronger regional partnerships were essential to align education with Africa’s industrialisation agenda.
Director of Tertiary Education Programmes, Mr. Darlington Chokore Damba urged African countries to redesign their education systems around local development priorities.
“Africa has graduates but insufficient industries and remains heavily dependent on imports. Regional cooperation should help us develop solutions to shared challenges,” he said.
Harare Polytechnic Acting Principal, Mrs. Deborah Ruziwa said Zimbabwean polytechnics wanted partnerships that extended beyond traditional academic exchanges to support industrialisation.
“We are looking at collaboration in joint research, staff and student exchanges, integrated skills programmes and industrial projects that will help both countries develop practical solutions to common challenges,” she said.
Mutare Polytechnic Principal, Ms. Poniso Watema said the discussions had identified opportunities to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation through closer collaboration with industry.
“We see scope to develop industry-supported start-up financing models, establish innovation hubs and link students with mentors and investors. There is also potential to collaborate on rural industrialisation, value addition and export markets for food systems products,” she said.
Bulawayo Polytechnic Principal, Mrs. Chiedza Masanganise said Angola’s growing hospitality and tourism sector presented a natural opportunity for cooperation.
“There is strong demand for hospitality and tourism training. We can explore establishing a training school in Luanda, while expanding online learning, staff and student exchanges, and Portuguese and English language training to support regional skills development,” she said.
