The Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) has announced plans to build a technical college to prepare a new generation of Zimbabweans to compete successfully in the global economy.

At a dinner held on 2 April 2014 at the Meikles Hotel in Harare, the Bishop of Harare the Rt. Rev. Chad Gandiya, kicked off the start of a 25-year campaign to build a university for 8000 students in Chitungwiza, a town 25 miles south east of Harare. The new school will focus on healthcare and the biomedical sciences, he said, and is expected to cost upwards of $120 million dollars.

Zimbabwe has nine public and six private universities, though the country’s desperate economic conditions has starved them of funds in recent years. Chitungwiza was chosen as the site of the school due to the presence of several Anglican secondary schools and because “residents of this city have no choice to seek university education from other towns and cities,” the bishop said.

 “Among the several disciplines the university focus will be biomedical sciences and obviously this noble mission is a mammoth task but it is part of our mission to serve all members of our nation regardless of religious or political alignment or affiliation, and regardless of gender or age,” the bishop said according to a report of the launch printed by the Harare Herald.