Shot in arm for dualisation

highway.
The feasibility study will enable the Government to come up with a bankable project proposal to be used to source funding for the upgrading of the existing single carriageway to a dual carriageway.
DBSA’s group executive for the International Division, Mr Admassu Tadesse, signed the agreement on behalf of his bank. The Government was represented by the Secretary for Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development, Mr Partson Mbiriri.
Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe’s projects co-ordinator in the infrastructure projects division, Mr Nick Nyamambi, said the next stage after the signing was to come up with a request for proposals that would need to be cleared by the State Procurement Board. He said this process should be complete by March after which a tender to invite contractors interested in carrying out the feasibility studies will be floated.
“Once the tender has been awarded, it should take up to seven months to complete the study, which is roughly the same time it took to complete the Harare-Kariba highway study,” he said. Mr Tadesse said the conclusion of the feasibility study on the Harare-Beitbridge highway was critical in sourcing funding that would result in the start of the dualisation of the 582km road.
“We believe that full works will require about US$500 million to US$700 million but the actual figure will be determined after the feasibility study,” he said.
He added that once a concrete project proposal had been put together, DBSA would take the lead in arranging funding, together with the African Development Bank.
Mr Tadessse said the continued assistance being rendered by the bank was a sign of its confidence in the country’s economic turnaround.
“This confidence goes beyond the bank because it is shared by the bank’s shareholder,” he said.
Mr Tadesse reaffirmed that the bank would continue with the risk appetite that it has for the country that has seen it approve US$300 million in infrastructure financing deals in the past three years.
Some of the money went towards covering costs of a feasibility study carried out on the Harare-Kariba highway and the rehabilitation of the Plumtree-Mutare highway via Bulawayo and Harare.
Mr Mbiriri said as Government they were delighted that after quite a slow start there was movement on the project as evidenced by the signing ceremony.
“We look forward to the feasibility study being done in the shortest possible period.
“My principals are anxious to see that this project gets off the ground – that is having the bulldozers on the ground,” he said.