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Herald Reporter
Cabinet has approved the memorandum of understanding between Zimbabwe and Turkey, which will give impetus to the joint venture between National Railways of Zimbabwe and Turkish construction giant Yapi Merkez, to rehabilitate and modernise the country’s railway infrastructure.
Speaking at the post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the agreement would strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries in line with the Government’s engagement and reengagement drive.
“The agreement seeks to strengthen bilateral agreements on National Railways of Zimbabwe. The benefits of the MoU include recapitalisation of NRZ, modernisation of the rail and aviation infrastructure, among others.
“This blends very well with the drive for international engagement and the mantra that indeed Zimbabwe is Open for Business,” she said.
The NRZ is going through a phased recapitalisation programme to restore operational capacity and restore profitability.
This will involve the rehabilitation and renewal of plant, equipment, rolling stock, track, signalling and telecommunications infrastructure and supporting IT systems.
The two parties are also exploring mutual cooperation in areas that include removal of cautions, re-railing worn out sections and turnouts, tunnel rehabilitation and bridges upgrade, upgrading buildings and facilities, maintenance and systems installations and train control systems.
The recapitalisation of NRZ was prioritised under the National Development strategy (NDS1) as one of the key pillars of economic recovery.
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