DEVELOPMENT OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN ZIMBABWE

IntroductionThe purpose of the fact sheet is to give an overview of the development of nanotechnology in Zimbabwe. Thiscomes against a background in which the country has identified nanotechnology as its priority research area inits second Science ,Technology and Innovation Policy which was launched on 13 June 2012.

What is nanotechnology?Nanotechnology is the manipulation of materials at molecular level between 1 and 100 nanometres. Onenanometre is one-millionth of a millimetre and a single human hair is around 80,000 nanometres in width.Materials are the essence of nanotechnology because at nanoscale, some materials arrange themselves indifferent atomic formations not seen in the bulk form of the same materials. Throughout history of mankind,materials have defined the technology of the age. We refer to the Stone Age and the Iron Age because of thetypes of materials that were used or developed during those eras to make the technology that was used ineveryday life. Nanotechnology is expected to have a profound impact on the economy and society perhapscomparable to ICT and biotechnology. It is anticipated that the technology may bring not only the desired andintended effects such as improved products and economic growth but also unexpected and undesirable sideeffects.

Benefits and Risks of NanotechnologyNanotechnology has potential applications that can contribute towards human development in Zimbabwe.Nanotechnologies promises breakthrough in areas such as electronics, medicine, energy, water and theenvironment.. However, the technology can bring new forms of toxicity and could deepen the economic dividebetween Africa and the rest of the world.

MILESTONES IN NANOTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT2006: Nano-“kutaurirana “DialoguesPractical Action, an NGO based in Harare conductedstakeholder panel workshops on 15, 16 and 22 July 2006under the theme “Can Nanotechnologies help achieve themillennium development target of halving the number ofpeople without access to clean water by 2015?”.Researchers from Demos, Practical Action and theUniversity of Lancaster collaborated on the workshopwhich was designed to engage the Zimbabweancommunity and scientists in debates aboutnanotechnologies. From the workshop, it was noted thatwater supply, culture and technology are sub-systems thatrelate to each other hence the need to give them attention.

2010: National Nanotechnology Workshop .There was a nanotechnology workshop hosted by theMinistry of Science and Technology Development inZimbabwe on 20 May 2010. Ministers and officials fromMinistry of Science and Technology in Mozambique andSouth Africa attended the workshop which was aimed atdeveloping an understanding of areas in the productionsector where nanotechnology can be applied, exploring thepossibilities of collaboration with international partners and

2012: National Nanotechnology StrategyThe Ministry of Science and Technology hasdeveloped the National NanotechnologyStrategy which is awaiting approval. As apredecessor to the strategy, the Science,Technology and Innovation policy waslaunched and it incorporates various aspects ofnanotechnology development.

Nanotechnology Initiatives in ZimbabweThe development of nanotechnology inZimbabwe is being driven by various playersand these include the Ministry of Science andTechnology Development, University ofZimbabwe, Research Council of Zimbabwe andZimbabwe Academy of Science.

Potential Applications of Nanotechnology •Provision of safe water: Use of nano filters,sponges and membranes.•Drug delivery: Targeted delivery of medicinethrough nano-enabled technology.•Energy: Improving the efficiency of solarpanels and cells.possibilities of collaboration with international partners and

determining areas of competence with regard tonanotechnology.

2011: African Materials Research Society ConferenceThe Sixth Africa Materials Research Society InternationalConference was held from the 11th to the 16th ofDecember 2011 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The theme ofthe Conference was “Advancing Africa through ValueAddition to Materials”. The Conference focused onmultidisciplinary materials research themes which wereinformed by Africa’s current and future materials researchneeds and global trends. The Government of Zimbabwe,through the Ministry of Science and TechnologyDevelopment was the host as well as the major sponsor ofthe event.

panels and cells.•Minerals value addition: Incorporatingnanotechnology to enhance the value ofprecious minerals.

Challenges in the Development of Nanotechnology•Infrastructure: Nanotechnology demands stateof art laboratories furnished with high resolutionelectron microscopes.•Risks and uncertainties: There are anticipatedrisks and uncertainties due to the size of nano-particles. Some risks have been proven whileothers have not but there is concern beingraised on the effects of the nano-particles onhuman health and the environment.

Text prepared by Trust Saidi About usThe NANO-DEV project is a partnership of three research institutes led by Maastricht University. Besides Maastricht University (the Netherlands), it includes the University of Hyderabad (India) and the African Technology Policy Studies Network (Kenya). For further details about the project, contact details, results and publications visit us on WWW.NANO-DEV.ORG: The project is funded by