Qualifications:
PhD Food Logistics and Quality Management, Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, 2010
MSc Food Quality Management, Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, 2010
BSc Honours Biological Sciences, University of Zimbabwe (2003)
Contacts:
Cell: Cell: +263 772 807 739
Email: lmacheka@muast.ac.zw
Skype: lesley.macheka
Overview:
The Innovation Hub is a prototyping and micro-factory facility with space for research, exploration, and creation of new ideas, objects, and products. The Hub hosts innovative start-ups by providing office space, laboratories, conference rooms and access to other resources to improve the likelihood of their success. The CII/Innovation Hub is supported by the university’s faculties (students and lecturers), industry partners and government departments.
The functions of the CII/ Innovation Hub are anchored around the following five key pillars:
1. Research that solve practical problems.
2. Innovations that sustain and provide solutions to industry and community
3. Transfer of all technologies and innovations developed for the public good and benefit.
4. Commercialisation of the innovations &technologies to generate income for the university and country.
5. All innovations are to be protected: Intellectual Property Protection.
Vision
To champion sustainable agriculture related innovations and technologies along the food supply chain – from farm to fork.
Mission
To be the best Centre for Innovation and Industrialisation in Sub Saharan Africa with special focus on the development and application of sustainable agriculture related innovations and technologies for the global food industry and related markets.
Collaborate: We create, foster, and develop relationships with industry and communities.
Ideate: We ideate and promote innovative solutions that have an impact on society.
Incubate: We foster and accelerate the growth of agriculture related start-up companies to become sustainable businesses contributing to food and security in Zimbabwe.
Define:
We analyze data on recurring insights and patterns to inform the definition of the problem(s).
Prototype and Test: We enable prototypes of design solutions to be user-tested in collaboration with industrial partners.
Pillar 1: Research and Innovation
The CII promotes problem driven and sustainable research and innovations targeted at promoting food and nutrition security. These researches and innovations cut across the food supply chain; from farm to fork.
Pillar 2: Technology Transfer
The technology transfer process is guided by the technology transfer policy. Some of the developed innovations and technologies are transferred through a license agreement in which the university retains ownership of the intellectual property, while the industrial partner obtains conditional rights to use and develop a technology.
Technology Transfer can be done through:
• Academic collaborations
• Partnership with industry
• Partnership with communities
Pillar 3: Commercialisation
Some of the innovations and technologies developed through the CII will be commercialised. Commercialisation is one effective method of transferring technologies. A registered company will be formed and used as a vehicle to commercialise innovations and technologies that have high potential.
Pillar 4: Intellectual Property Protection
All innovations and technologies developed at the university should be protected. As such, development of a policy on intellectual property protection is key. Intellectual property rights form a method of protecting intellectual property. There are several way to protect innovations and these are shown in Fig 1.
Fig 1
Projects
Projects:
Sustainable Production and Commercialization of African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs)
From AIVs Seed Systems to Healthier Diets and Sustainable Markets
Traditional societies have always exploited edible wild plants such as African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) to provide an adequate level of nutrition. Indigenous vegetables include all plants that originate on the continent or have a long history of cultivation and domestication to African conditions and whose leaves, fruits or roots are used as vegetables (Ambrose-Oji, 2012).
Read More…
Insects4Nutrition Project
Upscaling Edible Insect-Based Porridge to Improve Health and Nutritional Status of Primary School Children in Zimbabwean Low Socio-Economic Communities
Child malnutrition in many developing countries is at unacceptable levels, particularly iron and zinc deficiencies. To avoid child malnutrition due to the prolonged droughts and poor agricultural harvests some Zimbabwean rural communities traditionally mix insect powder from either soldier termites or mopane worm with especially finger millet cereal flour to make a porridge they use as an infant complementary food. Although this practice has shown observable nutritional impact in children, the impact of the insect-power enriched porridges on child nutrition has not been scientifically proven yet.
Read More…
Postgraduate Training
Click to view profiles for Postgraduate Students
Director:
Dr. Lesley Macheka
Qualifications:
PhD in Food Logistics and Quality Management (Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, 2018)
MSc degree in Food Quality Management (Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, 2010)
BSc Honours degree in Biological Sciences (University of Zimbabwe, 2003).
Email:lmacheka@muast.ac.zw
Innovation Manager:
Mrs Chipo Joyce Mugova
Qualifications:
MPhil Veterinary Studies (University of Zimbabwe, 2003)
MSc Animal Studies (University of Queensland, Australia, 2003)
BSc Agriculture Hons Animal Science (University of Zimbabwe, 1997)
Email:cmugova@muast.ac.zw
Business Development Manager:
Mr Richard Baipai
Qualifications:
MSc Strategic Management, Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), 2013
BSc Agriculture Management, Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU), 2006
Diploma in Agriculture, Gwebi Agricultural College, 2001
Email:rbaipai@muast.ac.zw
Intellectual Property Manager:
Mr Tafirenyika Makandwa
Qualifications:
Master Intellectual Property (MIP 2013) – Africa University
Master of Business Administration (MBA 2011) – NUST
BSc Applied Mathematics (2001) – NUST
Diploma Innovation, Transformation, Resilience for Sustainable Development (DITRSD 2022) Lund University. Sweden
Email:tmakandwa@muast.ac.zw
Sales and Marketing Manager:
Ms Paida Margret Moyo
Qualifications:
BSc Hons Agricultural Economics and Development degree at Midlands State University (2018)
Leadership, Agricultural and Entrepreneurship training at Star Leadership Academy for Agriculture class of (2019)
Email:pmmoyo@muast.ac.zw
Innovation Specialist:
Ms Tafadzwa Jean Musidzaramba
Qualifications:
Bsc Honours degree in Food Science and Technology (Chinhoyi University of Technology, 2019)
ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Development and Implementation, SAZ (2022)
Email:tmusidzaramba@muast.ac.zw