JICA Zimbabwe Volunteer Section Joins Hands with Government of Zimbabwe Ministries

This June, the technical cooperation between Japan and Zimbabwe was given another boost as the JICA Zimbabwe Volunteers section continues to explore areas of cooperation and expansion of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) program in Zimbabwean higher education institutions. In this regard, the team conducted a joint needs assessment tour and a joint monitoring and evaluation exercise at different institutions in the country.

The Volunteers section conducted a joint needs assessment tour with officials from the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation, led by the Director of Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr. Elias Murinda. The tour was held to assess the capacity of interested youth development institutions to host JOCVs over a two year period. Upon successful deployment to Zimbabwe, the JOCVs will play a crucial role in youth vocational skills development. The areas toured include Harare, Ruwa, Mt. Hampden, Mutare, Masvingo, Mutoko, Bulawayo and Gweru.

Following the tour with the Ministry of Youth, the team toured the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo to discuss the possibility of facilitating the deployment of JOCVs to the institution. The delegation was received at NUST by the Vice Chancellor Professor. Mqhele Dhlodhlo, PhD who expressed that receiving volunteers from Japan will enhance the achievement of the Innovation 5.0 in the field of Science and Technology as Japan is renowned for its Industrial and Technological advancement.

The Volunteer's section together with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education Innovation, Science, and Technology Development, also the conducted joint Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of the JOCV program. The M&E exercise was aimed at appraising the Ministry on the activities of the JOCVs in the host organisations, assist in the creation of a standard operating procedure, gauge the significance of the program, ascertain the progress made and the challenges faced and help come up with recommendations to improve the program. The exercise was conducted at Morgan Zintech Teachers' College in Harare, Mkoba Teachers' College in Gweru and Bulawayo Polytechnic.

The JOCV program which to date has seen 560 volunteers being dispatched to Zimbabwe has been commended for promoting human capital skills development at institutions of Higher and Tertiary education. It has had a pivotal role in the development and empowerment of the youth as well as catapulting career advancement.