💰 UZ Innovator Bags $50,000 for Essential Oils Breakthrough
A University of Zimbabwe (UZ) student, Tendai Makore, has secured the top commercial innovation award and a substantial US$50,000 prize for her pioneering essential oils project, signalling a government push to monetise student research.
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Top Prize: Tendai Makore won the Presidential Best Commercialised Innovation of the Year Award, clinching a US$50,000 grant.
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The Project: Her winning entry focuses on the commercial extraction and processing of essential oils from plant-based compounds.
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The Event: The award was presented by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the third annual Presidential Innovation Fair Awards Ceremony in Harare on December 11, 2025.
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Key Criterion: The project was specifically recognised for its “strong market potential” and commercialisation viability, aligning with national industrialisation goals.
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Policy Link: The fair underscores the government’s commitment to Vision 2030, leveraging science and technology to achieve upper-middle-income status.
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Gender Milestone: Makore’s win is seen as progress in promoting gender-inclusive innovation within the country’s tertiary education sector.
Driving Innovation Towards Industrialisation
The Presidential Innovation Fair, now in its third year, serves as a central pillar in the Zimbabwean government’s strategy to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application. By explicitly prioritising projects with commercial viability, such as Makore’s essential oils initiative, the administration aims to foster scalable, market-ready solutions. This strategic pivot towards export-oriented sectors, particularly agro-processing, seeks to utilise indigenous resources for value-added production. The focus on essential oils, derived from native flora, holds significant untapped potential for Zimbabwe’s burgeoning herbal, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical markets, offering a pathway to generate crucial foreign exchange earnings and mitigate import dependency.
Makore’s breakthrough aligns directly with the nation’s “Heritage Based Education 5.0” model, which champions self-reliance and the industrialisation of the economy through local ingenuity. The presence of President Mnangagwa, flanked by key educational and academic figures, provided a powerful endorsement of this policy. While the US$50,000 prize provides vital seed capital, the broader context of the fair is to stimulate a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem. However, a key challenge remains the transition from incentivisation to sustained commercial reality, with industry analysts noting that infrastructural limitations and long-term, non-state funding mechanisms are critical for these award-winning ventures to grow into major enterprises and truly tackle chronic national issues like unemployment.
The global market for essential oils is expanding rapidly, valued at over US$26 billion, driven by increasing consumer demand for natural and organic products in wellness, food, and cosmetics. Zimbabwe is already an exporter of essential oils, shipping US$1.56 million worth in 2023, primarily to South Africa. Makore’s work on efficient extraction methods, potentially including those for novel sources like edible insects, positions Zimbabwe to capture a larger share of this lucrative global trade, moving beyond traditional mineral exports. The fair acts as a high-visibility platform, designed to attract the private sector to partner with these emerging innovators, thus transferring the ideas from the university lab to the factory floor.
🗓️ Timeline of the Breakthrough
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December 10, 2025: Preparations intensify for the third Presidential Innovation Fair; UZ prominently showcases student prototypes, including Tendai Makore’s essential oils project.
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December 11, 2025 (Morning): The Awards Ceremony commences in Harare; Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Fredrick Shava, delivers a keynote on the role of education in the national industrialisation agenda.
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December 11, 2025 (Afternoon): Tendai Makore is presented with the Presidential Best Commercialised Innovation of the Year Award and the US$50,000 prize by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
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December 11, 2025 (18:26 GMT): The Herald Zimbabwe publishes video footage of the award ceremony, drawing immediate public engagement and online commentary.
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December 11, 2025 (Evening): Social media platforms register a mix of congratulatory messages and critical discussions regarding the specific commercial application and potential for sustained funding of the winning project.
👤 Key Players
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Tendai Makore: UZ student, Winner of the Presidential Best Commercialised Innovation of the Year for her essential oils extraction project.
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President Emmerson Mnangagwa: Presented the award, highlighting the government’s commitment to innovation and technology-driven national development.
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Ambassador Fredrick Shava: Minister of Higher Education, opened the fair and reinforced the ministry’s focus on institutional contributions to modernisation.
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Professor Paul Mapfumo: University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor, representing the academic leadership that incubated the winning innovation.
