NEW: ZIDA to present public-private partnership guidelines to Cabinet

Harmony Agere

THE Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) is set to present public-private partnership (PPP) guidelines to Cabinet in the first quarter of 2025.

This marks a significant step towards standardising the country’s PPP practices.

If approved by the Cabinet, the guidelines will become the governing law for all PPP projects in Zimbabwe.

Commenting on the agency’s 2024 fourth-quarter report, ZIDA chief executive officer Mr Tafadzwa Chinamo highlighted the importance of PPPs in national development, emphasising the need for uniform standards for PPP projects in Zimbabwe.

“We achieved a major milestone with the finalisation and approval of PPP guidelines by the PPP committee,” he said.

“These guidelines will be presented to the Cabinet in Q1 2025 for adoption as the governing law for all PPPs in Zimbabwe.

“These partnerships are pivotal to advancing Zimbabwe’s infrastructure, and these guidelines will bring clarity and confidence to all stakeholders involved in impactful projects.”

The guidelines, Mr Chinamo said, aim to provide clear direction to both contracting authorities and their partners, facilitating the execution of meaningful and transformative projects.

PPPs have played a pivotal role in the development of the country’s infrastructure, with the rehabilitation of Beitbridge Border Post being one of the success stories of the development model.

Meanwhile, ZIDA managed to fully digitise its operations in the last three months of 2024.

According to the agency, 98,1 percent of licence applications were processed through its “do-it-yourself” licensing portal during the quarter, thereby reducing the average processing time to less than five days.