adminThupelo Muleya in Beitbrdge
Home Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament for Beitbridge East Constituency Kembo Mohadi says he will engage Finance and Economic Development Minister on the completion of the Zimbabwe Investment Authority industrial park project, which is key to economic development in the border town.
Construction of the industrial park was started in 1998 under the then Export Processing Zones Authority, which was later merged with the Zimbabwe Investment Centre, to form Zimbabwe Investment Authority.
At its inception the development of the park was to be done in four phases covering a total of 42 hectares. The first phase covering 10 hectares has been partly developed and some of the factory shells are being leased out to Manica and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) which uses the place for processing vehicle imports from South Africa into Zimbabwe.
Other occupants include Capri Company that is involved in importing bulky rice from South Africa which they repackage for resale in Zimbabwe. Phase one is approximately 60 percent complete and the development of the remaining three phases would commence after the completion of phase one. The initiative was meant to promote exports mainly from the manufacturing sector, previously targeted under the exports processing zones concept.
Minister Mohadi said there was an urgent need to revive the project which he said would go a long way in promoting economic development in the district and country as a whole.
“As Government we need to revisit the project as a matter of urgency so that it can start bearing fruits. I am going to engage Minister Chinamasa over the issue.
“The development of this industrial park will also contribute to the town and country’s economic growth at the same time creating jobs for the community,” he said. A ministerial team comprising Minister Mohadi and the then Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister Tapiwa Mashakada and ZIA officials visited the park in 2012 to ascertain the challenges hindering the completion of the project.
An acute shortage of funds was cited as one of the greatest challenges. Government then resolved to develop the area on a public private partnership basis.
Minister Mohadi said that since the tenure of the inclusive Government was over the new Government needed to come up with a different strategy to ensure the completion of the programme.
Online Reporter