By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
GWERU – Midlands State University (MSU) alumni from across Zimbabwe and the diaspora gathered in Gweru on Friday for the institution’s inaugural Alumni Reunion and Business Expo, where speakers called for the transformation of alumni pride into a structured force for national development.
The landmark event brought together government officials, university leadership and graduates to strengthen ties with the institution while showcasing alumni-led enterprises.
Global Alumni Interim Steering Committee President Dr Prosper Mutswiri
It also marked the launch of the MSU Alumni Fund and the Alumni Registration Portal, aimed at organising and mobilising the university’s growing global network of graduates.
In a keynote address, Global Alumni Interim Steering Committee President Dr Prosper Mutswiri said the reunion was not merely a social gathering but a strategic moment to organise alumni into a permanent institutional asset.
“We have not gathered here for nostalgia alone,” Mutswiri said. “We have come to convert affection into structure, belonging into strategy and alumni pride into national value.”
He said the university’s alumni community—estimated at more than 90,000 graduates worldwide—should serve as a platform for talent, investment, mentorship and innovation that connects campus ideas with industry and international capital.
“Our task is to build a sustainable alumni platform that can organise data, talent, networks and opportunities in ways that strengthen the university and contribute to national development,” he said.
Mutswiri said alumni must also become ambassadors for the university’s brand worldwide.
“A university brand does not live in logos. It lives in the conduct, competence and achievements of its graduates,” he said.
Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Fredrick Shava, who officiated at the event, urged alumni to actively support the institution through mentorship, research partnerships and infrastructure development.
“A university can only be as good as its former students,” Shava said. “Successful alumni are among universities’ most critical benefactors through endowments, scholarships, research grants and funding for infrastructure.”
He said nearly 96,000 students have graduated from MSU since its first graduation ceremony in 2004, many of whom now serve as academics, public officials, innovators and business leaders locally and abroad.
Vice Chancellor Professor Victor Ngonidzashe Muzvidziwa described the reunion as a transition “from memory to momentum,” urging graduates to turn their collective experience into measurable national value.
Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Fredrick Shava
“Over 90,000 graduates now carry the MSU name into every sector and continent,” he said. “Our task is to convert that abundance of talent and goodwill into structured, measurable national value.”
Muzvidziwa highlighted the university’s expansion from four faculties at its inception to ten faculties, three research institutes and two centres focused on entrepreneurship and public policy.
He said MSU’s Education 5.0 model—anchored on teaching, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation—was designed to produce practical solutions for national development.
He also pointed to several projects demonstrating the university’s impact, including the National Pathology Research and Diagnostic Centre, innovation hubs, and a newly completed dam capable of irrigating up to 800 hectares of agricultural land.
Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Hon. Owen Ncube, described the reunion as a milestone for the university and the province.
“This gathering is the first of its kind in the higher education sector and shows the value of leveraging alumni networks to drive innovation, industrialisation and national development,” Ncube said.
The Business Expo, held alongside the reunion, featured exhibitions from alumni-owned companies and startups, highlighting entrepreneurship emerging from the university’s graduates.
Speakers said the alumni initiative would prioritise mentorship programmes, internship pathways for students, stronger corporate partnerships and support for student enterprises.
Organisers said the reunion is expected to become a regular platform for strengthening collaboration between the university, its graduates, government and industry.
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