By Tendai Guvamombe
Harare, Zimbabwe – The Women in Engineering Conference 2025, held in Harare on Monday under the theme “Together We Engineer – Promoting Collaboration to Achieve a More Inclusive and Diverse Engineering Future,” saw an inspiring address delivered by Eng. Martha Ndoro on behalf of Eng. Joey Makumbe, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport.
Eng. Ndoro’s keynote resonated deeply with attendees, highlighting the critical importance of fostering collaboration to drive diversity within the engineering field. For too long, engineering has been seen as a male-dominated profession.
However, a powerful transformation is underway, with women in Zimbabwe not just participating but leading, innovating, and actively shaping the nation’s future.
Zimbabwean women engineers are making significant strides in various sectors, from civil and water engineering to mechanical and electrical fields.
They are at the forefront of designing resilient infrastructure, building sustainable water systems for rural communities, and spearheading clean energy solutions. Their contributions are a testament to their skill, strength, perseverance, and leadership.
Despite these remarkable achievements, the journey for women in engineering is far from over. Challenges persist, particularly underrepresentation in leadership positions.
Eng. Ndoro revealed a stark reality within the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, where females constitute only 17% of engineers and around 26% of technicians, indicating a significant gender gap. Many talented girls, despite their potential, lack adequate support systems to encourage them to pursue vital subjects like mathematics, physics, and statistics, which are foundational to engineering careers.
The conference, therefore, serves as a crucial platform to address these disparities and strengthen collaborations.
By working together, industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders can create an environment that truly promotes diversity and inclusivity, ensuring that more women are empowered to pursue, excel, and lead in the dynamic world of engineering.
The goal is to build a future where every aspiring female engineer has the opportunity to contribute their unique talents to national development.
