By A Correspondent| Controversial Zimbabwean businessman and close presidential ally Kudakwashe Tagwirei has been awarded another honorary doctorate — this time from Babcock University in Lagos, Nigeria — raising fresh scrutiny over the legitimacy and frequency of such titles being bestowed on politically connected individuals.
Tagwirei received an Honorary Doctorate in Business and Strategic Management from Babcock University, a private Christian institution owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The award was presented in recognition of his “distinguished contributions to business and strategic leadership.”
The latest conferment comes just days after Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba, under his popular pseudonymJamwandaon X (formerly Twitter), took aim at the practice of casually assigning the “Dr.” title to individuals without corresponding academic qualifications.
“ONE LITTLE BAD HABIT WE MUST DROP IMMEDIATELY: Kungomuka tatumidza munhu kuti DOCTOR, DR., as if izita remadunhurirwa, or as if we are INVISIBLE CHANCELLORS AND DEANS of some INVISIBLE UNIVERSITIES!! Zvekunzi CHIREMBA zvinoda kurava nemapepa izvi. Ndidzo mviromviro dzeFRAUD idzodzo pamwe nekuumba tumwari twemunamwe.
STOP IT!!!!”
Although Charamba did not mention Tagwirei by name, his remarks have widely been interpreted as a thinly veiled rebuke of the businessman, who has increasingly been referred to as “Dr. Tagwirei” in ruling party and state media circles.
The Nigerian university joins a list of institutions that have conferred honorary degrees on the businessman, despite the absence of any known earned doctoral qualification. The growing use of honorary titles by politically influential figures has stirred debate in Zimbabwe, particularly at a time when the country grapples with governance, accountability, and transparency issues.
Tagwirei, sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom over alleged corruption and state capture, remains one of the most powerful figures in Zimbabwe’s economic and political landscape, with interests spanning the fuel, mining, and financial sectors.
The timing of the honorary degree and the public reprimand from Charamba has further highlighted internal tensions and growing unease around the elevation of elite figures through symbolic — and often controversial — recognitions.
Source: Zimeye
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