By Daniel Itai.
(News of The South) – Zimbabwe will be launching its own space satellite in 2020. This was revealed by the minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube during the 2020 national budget yesterday.
“Research and development is critical for Zimbabwe’s social-economic transformation and competitiveness, as the country strives to attain Vision 2030.
Research and Development Programmes will be supported by both government and private sectors, as the country seeks to innovate in developing new services of products and also advance the value addition strategy.
The Budget has set aside resources for the Research and Development programme, including the launch of the space satellite,” said the Finance minister.
The idea for the space agency seems to have been orchestrated by the minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Amon Murwira who said that, the space agency would help to solve some of the country’s problems earlier on last year.
In July 2018, the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) was established operating under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development.
Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa said the launch of the agency was timely as it would enhance satellite communication systems.
He said the country would use the ZINGSA to enhance agriculture, mineral exploration, wildlife conservation, disease surveillance and infrastructure management and mapping.
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