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Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
The Second Republic, led by President Mnangagwa, has commissioned more than 7 000 projects since 2017, while thousands of jobs have been created from the many infrastructure development projects that have been initiated, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere has said.
He said this in an interview yesterday after the opening to traffic of the Gwebi River Bridge and a 4km stretch along Old Mazowe Road from the bridge.
Some of the projects completed so far include roads, clinics, schools and dams such as Muchekeranwa in Chivhu.
Dr Muswere said the completion of the road projects witnessed yesterday was in line with Vision 2030 of an empowered upper-middle income society and the National Development Strategy 1, which prioritises the utilities and infrastructure pillar.
“What is of great importance is that so much has been achieved within a short space of time,” he said.
“Ever since His Excellency the President Dr ED Mnangagwa assumed the Presidency in 2017, over 7 000 projects have been completed across the country, thereby ensuring that we leave no one and no place behind. But when we are analysing the roads and infrastructure that have been developed within this space of time, you also come to realise that thousands of jobs have been created by His Excellency, the President Dr ED Mnangagwa.”
Dr Muswere said every Zimbabwean has a role to play in terms of macro-economic growth.
He explained that roads were part of the infrastructure and utilities pillar, adding that the use of local materials in the construction of roads had been key.
He said Zimbabwean engineers and contractors now had the capacity to build roads anywhere in the world as he also stressed that the bulk of the resources used had been sourced locally.
“The funding mechanism is also being domesticated and at the same time, the human capital development aspect, which is very critical in terms of our Vision 2030, has ensured that as Zimbabweans we have ⁰sharpened our national strategic thinking and technical and intellectual expertise such that we can build roads anywhere in the world.
“So all this underlines the national philosophy (of Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo),” he said.
Commenting on the SADC Summit, Dr Muswere said Government was ready to host the key meeting in Harare.
“I have already indicated that we are in the final stages and we are very confident and the progress that has been achieved is very satisfactory.
“My colleague Minister (of Transport and Infrastructural Development Felix Mhona) has already indicated that the decentralisation and devolution of national resources across all provinces is ongoing, which also includes the equipment, the development and deployment of road infrastructure resources in all provinces is also ongoing.
“So within a short space of time, the procurement has already been finalised and the equipment is on its way to all rural district councils, thereby ensuring that infrastructure development is also inclusive across all provinces,” said Dr Muswere.
Minister Mhona said infrastructure was a key economic enabler.
“We are financing our own infrastructure, which is contrary to what other nations do when it comes to infrastructure rehabilitation and upgrades, where they tap into concessional loans, whether from the IMF or the World Bank, but in our case, we are using our own resources,” he said
Forty-one tenders worth millions of US dollars were awarded to local public and private contractors for the construction, rehabilitation and routine maintenance of roads countrywide under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2).
President Mnangagwa launched the US$400 million ERRP2, a countrywide initiative meant to improve the country’s road network and catch up on years of neglect by urban authorities.
More than 50 000km have been rehabilitated and reconstructed, while 2 000 structures have been attended to since the start of ERRP2 in 2021 under a sustained road and infrastructure development drive by the Second Republic.
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