Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
THE establishment of containerised and portable service stations in rural and remote areas will enhance profitability of agricultural machinery, boost small-scale mining, help curb unsafe fuel black market, as well as stimulate economic development in unserviced areas.
According to the Government gazette, the establishment of low-cost, portable service stations to provide fuel in rural and remote areas will be superintended by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority which has since invited interested players to come forward.
In an interview, Zera chief executive officer, Mr Eddington Mazambani, said the facility will help in a huge way rural businesspersons, farmers, civil servants and Non Governmental Organisation workers who have had to endure travelling long distances to get fuel.
“A containerised/portable fuel retail station is a complete, self-contained fuel storage and dispensing unit built inside a standard shipping container. The storage tanks are above ground, and the shipping container provides secondary containment. They are also called portable fuel stations because the container installation can be transported on a low bed trailer as and when necessary. Containerised fuel retail facilities are flexible and relatively cheap to deploy and redeploy,” said Mr Mazambani.
“The liberalisation of the petroleum industry has led to significant growth in Zimbabwe’s fuel market. However, this expansion has largely been concentrated in urban centres, leaving many rural and remote areas with little to no presence of conventional fuel stations. As a result, residents-including businesspeople, farmers, civil servants, and NGO workers-must travel long distances to access fuel, leading to higher transportation costs, reduced productivity, and limited economic activity in these communities.”
He said in order to address this disparity, the Government has adopted the new facility.
“Due to the prohibitive construction costs of traditional fuel infrastructure, many remote rural areas have been overlooked by mainstream investors. The introduction of containerised stations, which are significantly cheaper and quicker to deploy, presents a more economically viable solution. These stations will not only improve access to fuel for agricultural machinery, small-scale mining, and cottage industries but also help stimulate local economic development,” he said.
Mr Mazambani said the presence of the facility was expected to encourage the growth of complementary small businesses, creating mini-economic hubs and enhancing social services in rural communities.
“Furthermore, by tapping into less saturated rural markets, investors can unlock new opportunities while contributing to national development goals. The formalisation of fuel retail in these areas is also expected to reduce the prevalence of unsafe black-market fuel sales, thereby improving safety standards and regulatory compliance,” said Mr Mazambani.
He said the facility dovetailed into the Government’s thrust of leaving no place and no one under the National Development Strategy 1 which seeks to provide inclusive economic growth, rural development and job creation.
“By improving energy accessibility, particularly in rural areas, containerised stations enable increased agricultural productivity, reduce input costs for farmers and small businesses, and help unlock economic potential in marginalized communities,” said Mr Mazambani.
“Moreover, the simple and modular design of these stations allows for rapid deployment, making it possible to extend safe and reliable fuel services to more people and areas in a shorter time frame.”
Mr Mazambani said the major advantage of the system in providing competitiveness to the suppliers was the low cost involved in establishing it.
“The concept of containerised service stations is, itself, a significant measure meant to strike this crucial balance between supplier costs and fuel affordability and reliability of access to fuel in remote rural areas. The most direct way this concept ensures this balance is lower capital expenditure. Containerised service stations are much cheaper and faster to deploy than traditional service stations that require significant upfront investments hence they come with a lower financial risk and start generating revenue sooner. This helps to offset the higher per litre costs of distributing fuel to remote rural areas,” he said.
“The Zimbabwe standard for requirements and guidance for establishing containerised/portable service stations also allows a tank storage capacity of up to 40 000 litres. This is another measure that can help achieve the balance between supplier costs and affordability of fuel in rural areas. Allowing this large storage capacity helps reduce the frequency of fuel deliveries, thereby reducing logistical costs. Suppliers can deliver large volumes of up to 40 000 litres, therefore, can maximise the efficiency of each trip. A larger storage capacity also means less risk of running out of fuel between deliveries, thus potential losses from missed sales can be avoided.”
