Graduates challenged to drive beneficiation and build mining enterprises
The Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) has added 369 new professionals to Zimbabwe’s mining skills pipeline, graduating a cohort expected to support an industry increasingly shaped by technology, mineral processing and value addition, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The institution’s 32nd graduation ceremony saw students complete programmes in Mining Engineering, Geology, Metallurgy, Mine Surveying, Mine Environmental Engineering and related disciplines. The graduating class comprised 103 female and 266 male graduates, who will join thousands of ZSM alumni working across Zimbabwe, the Southern African region and beyond.
The latest graduates enter the mining sector at a time when companies are seeking specialised technical skills to support exploration, production, processing and the adoption of modern technologies. As one of Zimbabwe’s key mining training institutions, ZSM has, over the years, supplied professionals to mining operations, government institutions and service providers locally and across the region.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Guest of Honour, Dr Polite Kambamura, Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Dr Caleb Makwiranzou challenged the new professionals to take a broader role in shaping the future of the sector. He urged them to move beyond traditional employment pathways and instead contribute to a more value-driven mining ecosystem.
“We don’t want you to be employed. We want you to build mining enterprises, service companies, assay laboratories and technology ventures of your own. As the theme says, there are limitless possibilities. You are graduating into an industry where there are opportunities beyond the mine itself. You must be the generation that adds value because exporting ores is now a thing of the past.”
Such enterprises, he said, would strengthen local participation in mining by expanding the network of Zimbabwean-owned suppliers, technical specialists and service providers supporting the industry.
Makwiranzou further urged graduates to build their careers around four pillars, safety, beneficiation, entrepreneurship and continuous learning, noting that professionals would need to constantly adapt as technology transforms the way mining operations are conducted. He also highlighted efforts by ZSM to modernise its training programmes, including the establishment of a drone training school, as mining increasingly adopts technology-driven approaches to surveying, data capture and operations management.
For ZSM, the graduation marks another milestone in the institution’s efforts to align mining education with the changing needs of the industry. Speaking at the ceremony, Zimbabwe School of Mines Principal Edwin Gwaze said the school was focused on developing professionals capable of supporting innovation, sustainable mineral development and economic transformation as Zimbabwe’s mining sector evolves.
“As we embark on our 2026–2030 strategic journey, we remain committed to developing world-class mining professionals who will drive innovation, sustainable mineral development and economic transformation across Zimbabwe, the region and beyond,” Gwaze said.
He added that the progress achieved by the institution had been supported by the Government, the Board of Management, staff, students, alumni, industry partners, development partners and the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe.
As the latest graduates enter the sector, they face a mining landscape where technical expertise, innovation and local participation are becoming increasingly important to the industry’s growth. Closing the ceremony, Makwiranzou reminded graduates that Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth depended not only on the resources underground but also on the people who would shape the industry’s future.
“The mineral wealth of this country is not in the ground. It is right here. It is in the people,” he said.
