Online Reporter
Nelson Gahadza
Zimpapers Business Hub
Zimbabwe and China have signed letters of exchange for the China Aid Upgrade and Maintenance of Irrigation Schemes project, marking a new milestone in the two countries’ long-standing bilateral cooperation.
The agreements provide for the drilling of 300 boreholes, a technology assistance project and a policy consultation initiative.
So far, 234 of the planned boreholes have been completed, 66 in Mashonaland East, 100 in Manicaland and 68 in Masvingo, leaving 66 boreholes in Midlands still underway.
At the signing ceremony in Harare, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Zhou Ding, said the Chinese government-funded project would upgrade and renovate nine key irrigation facilities across six provinces in Zimbabwe.
“It is designed to unlock greater productivity for smallholder farmers, catalyse agricultural modernisation and strengthen the nation’s resilience to climate change,” he said.
Ambassador Zhou said the agreement came in a year that marked the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Zimbabwe, describing 2025 as a year of remarkable achievements for the two countries’ bilateral relations.
He highlighted that China remains Zimbabwe’s largest source of foreign direct investment, with close to 500 new Chinese businesses registered since January with a projected investment of about US$2,5 billion.
In his remarks, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, expressed gratitude to China for its continued support through grants, concessional loans, humanitarian assistance and technical cooperation.
“On behalf of the people of Zimbabwe, I wish to express our sincere appreciation to the People’s Republic of China for its continued support to the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.
He noted that the irrigation scheme project is financed under the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement signed in June 2019 and complements other ongoing Chinese – funded initiatives.
These include borehole drilling, agricultural technology support and policy consultation aligned with National Development Strategy 2, Zimbabwe’s next five-year economic blueprint.
Prof Ncube described China as a steadfast ally, noting that its support has contributed significantly to Zimbabwe’s development across key sectors such as agriculture, energy, water, health, education and infrastructure.
