CEO’s Office
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Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE)
Driving Strategic Leadership for Quality-Assured Higher Education
The Office of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) provides strategic leadership and executive oversight for the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE). The Office guides the Council’s operations, implements national higher education policy, and ensures effective regulation and quality assurance of Zimbabwe’s higher education system.
Working closely with the ZIMCHE Council, Government, higher education institutions, and international partners, the CEO’s Office ensures that the Council’s regulatory, advisory, and quality assurance functions contribute to national development, innovation, and the modernisation of Zimbabwe’s higher education sector.
The Office oversees the implementation of the ZIMCHE’s mandate, including institutional registration, programme accreditation, academic audits, policy development, and sector monitoring.
Strategic Role of the CEO’s Office
- Providing strategic leadership and direction for the Council.
- Overseeing the implementation of the ZIMCHE Act and national higher education policies.
- Ensuring effective regulation and quality assurance of higher education institutions.
- Coordinating the work of ZIMCHE’s directorates and operational units.
- Representing ZIMCHE in national, regional, and international higher education forums.
- Strengthening collaboration with universities, government ministries, regulatory agencies, and development partners.
- Promoting a quality-assured higher education system aligned with Vision 2030 and Heritage-Based Education 5.0.
Professor K. P. Dzvimbo (Chief Executive Officer)
Professor K. P. Dzvimbo (Chief Executive Officer)
Professor Kuzvinetsa Peter Dzvimbo is a distinguished academic, higher education strategist, and international education policy expert serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE).
He has held numerous senior leadership positions across universities and international institutions and brings extensive experience in higher education governance, policy development, and institutional transformation.
Professor Dzvimbo previously served as Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Zimbabwe, Founding Vice-Chancellor of the Zimbabwe Open University, Rector of the African Virtual University (AVU) in Nairobi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Research) at Vaal University of Technology in South Africa, and Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank supporting higher education development initiatives across Africa and the Caribbean.
He holds a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (USA) and undertook postdoctoral studies at Stanford University, as well as executive training in educational planning and ICT integration at Harvard University.
As CEO of the ZIMCHE, Professor Dzvimbo leads the Council’s strategic vision to strengthen quality assurance, promote innovation in higher education, and align Zimbabwe’s universities with national development priorities and international standards.
Professor W. Parawira (Deputy Chief Executive Officer)
Professor W. Parawira (Deputy Chief Executive Officer)
Professor Wilson Parawira serves as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE), supporting the CEO in overseeing the implementation of the Council’s regulatory, advisory, and quality assurance functions.
In this role, Professor Parawira assists in coordinating the operational activities of ZIMCHE’s directorates and ensuring the effective implementation of institutional accreditation, academic audits, and sector monitoring processes that underpin Zimbabwe’s higher education quality assurance framework.
Professor Parawira is a distinguished microbiologist and biotechnology scholar with over two decades of experience in higher education teaching, research, and leadership across universities in Zimbabwe and internationally.
He holds a BSc Honours in Biological Sciences and an MSc in Biotechnology from the University of Zimbabwe, and a PhD in Environmental Biotechnology from Lund University, Sweden.
He completed postdoctoral research fellowships at Lund University in Sweden, focusing on anaerobic digestion, and at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, in fermentation process development.
Before joining the ZIMCHE, Professor Parawira served as Pro Vice-Chancellor at Bindura University of Science Education, where he previously held the position of Inaugural Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science. He also served as Head of Department at the University of Zimbabwe and the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (now part of the University of Rwanda).
A prolific academic and researcher, Professor Parawira has published extensively in peer-reviewed international journals and contributed several book chapters. His research interests include environmental biotechnology, biofuels, food microbiology, and science, technology and innovation policy.
He has supervised numerous postgraduate students and continues to contribute to academic scholarship and mentorship within the higher education sector. He is a member of the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences and has served as an external examiner for several universities across Africa.
Meet our team
Office Staff
PA to the CEO
PA to the Deputy CEO
Executive Management Coordination
The CEO’s Office provides leadership and coordination for the Executive Management Team, which oversees the work of the ZIMCHE’s directorates and operational units.
- Effective policy implementation
- Coordinated institutional regulation
- Continuous improvement of quality assurance systems
- Strategic partnerships with national and international stakeholders
This leadership framework enables the ZIMCHE to fulfil its mandate of safeguarding the quality, credibility, and global competitiveness of Zimbabwe’s higher education system.