Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) received a high-profile delegation from Japan’s JICA NINJA Project on 12 June 2026, marking a significant step towards strengthening the country’s innovation and entrepreneurship landscape.
The delegation, led by Mr Shigeru Handa, Director of Asia Africa Investment and Consulting Pte. Ltd (AAIC), arrived at HIT as part of the Kickoff Meeting of the Startup Ecosystem Enhancement Project, an initiative under the JICA NINJA Innovation Challenge, designed to connect African startups with Japanese corporations and international donor organisations.
Mr Handa was accompanied by officials from Deloitte Japan (Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support Co., Ltd. and Deloitte Tohmatsu LLC) and senior officials from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development.
A Meeting of Minds at the Top
The delegation held substantive engagements with HIT’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Q.C Kanhukamwe; the Director for Technology Transfer, Licensing, Commercialisation and Consultancy (TTLCC), Engineer L. Masiyazi; the Directors for Communications, Advancement, and International Affairs, Mr T. Mutema; and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Mr T. Magadza.
The discussions centred on how HIT’s innovation ecosystem could align with and benefit from the objectives of the JICA NINJA Project.
According to Mr Handa, the JICA Ninja Project is specifically designed to facilitate collaboration between promising African startups and Japanese corporations, as well as other donor organisations, creating pathways for investment, mentorship, and market access.
Startups Take Centre Stage
A highlight of the visit was a guided tour of HIT’s Innovation Hub, where the delegation had an opportunity to witness the university’s thriving startup community in action. The visitors interacted directly with lead persons running some of HIT’s most promising ventures, an exchange that clearly demonstrated the calibre and potential of HIT-nurtured entrepreneurs.
The visit signals a growing international recognition of HIT as a hub of technological innovation and a credible partner in Africa’s startup ecosystem development agenda. As Zimbabwe continues to align its higher education sector with the national Education 5.0 framework and Vision 2030 goals, engagements of this nature are poised to unlock new dimensions of opportunity for students, researchers, and emerging entrepreneurs.
HIT remains committed to fostering partnerships that translate academic innovation into real-world impact, and today’s visit by the JICA Ninja delegation is a powerful affirmation of that vision.
