Chronicle EditorOliver Kazunga, Senior Reporter
AS the Government rolls out more infrastructure development projects in the southern region, there is a need to ensure that more local companies are involved to ensure inclusive participation and economic empowerment.
The Zimbabwe Building Contractors Association (ZBCA) said this as it vowed to continue lobbying the Government to rope in local contractors to have a part in driving the National Development Strategy (NDS1), which prioritises infrastructure development projects.
A robust infrastructure is a critical enabler for investment and Zimbabwe is mindful of this factor as it forges towards attainment of an upper middle-income economy vision by 2030.
The rollout of major projects in Matabeleland region such as the Hwange Thermal Power Station Expansion, Bulawayo-Beitbridge Highway rehabilitation project, the construction of Lake Gwayi-Shangani and Lupane Provincial Hospital, among others, present a huge opportunity for local contractors, said ZBCA past president Mr Obert Sibanda in an interview.
“First of all, these are good projects to the locals in general in so far as the development of the region is concerned,” he said.
“But in particular, when referring to the local contractors, they (local contractors) have not benefitted much from them.
Mr Sibanda expressed concern that most national infrastructure projects were being implemented by the Chinese or contractors who are not from the region and yet locals also have capacity.
“We continue to lobby the Government to have local contractors awarded tenders in national projects. There should be a specific instruction to say a certain percentage should be sub-contracted to locals and also maybe the foreigners working together with locals because that’s where there is need for technological transfer,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said as local players in the infrastructural development sector they were also advocating for decentralisation of tenders to allow local participation within specific regions.
Meanwhile, the private sector has called on the Government to consider rationalising the 14 priority areas in the NDS1 and implement them in a phased approach to derive maximum benefits.
Some of the 14 priority areas are economic growth and stability, food security and nutrition, governance, moving the economy up the value chain and structural transformation. -@okazunga
Online Reporter