Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba, Senior Reporter
The Zimpapers public lecture, titled “Moving Zimbabwe Forward: Transport Logistics as the Backbone of an Upper-Middle-Income Economy,” is currently underway at the Harare Institute of Technology in Harare.
The event is being organised by Zimpapers under its Public Lecture Series.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona is set to deliver a landmark policy address on transforming Zimbabwe from a passive transport corridor into a regional logistics hub—a move central to the nation’s goal of achieving upper-middle-income status by 2030.
Minister Mhona’s address is expected to outline a bold proposition: shifting the country’s role from simply moving goods through its territory to actively processing, consolidating and adding value to regional trade flows.
This vision aligns directly with the Ministry’s National Transport Master Plan (2024–2030) and the broader National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2, 2026–2030), a US$2 billion programme prioritising rail rehabilitation and expansion.
The Minister’s leadership on the Beitbridge–Harare–Chirundu Corridor upgrade, the rollout of One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), and the recapitalisation of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) places him at the centre of the country’s most significant infrastructural transformation in a generation.
The Government is targeting a sharp increase in rail freight from 2.1 million tonnes in 2025 to 12 million tonnes by 2030, aiming to shift bulk freight from deteriorating road networks.
The event is designed to be a candid, solutions-driven conversation, moving beyond ceremony to engage freight operators, port authorities, customs officials, infrastructure financiers and transport unions.
The proposed format includes a 30-minute formal address by the Minister, followed by a 20-minute fireside chat on “The Last Mile – What Policy Looks Like from the Driver’s Seat,” and a 60-minute panel discussion on “Funding, Friction and Futures – Building a Logistics Hub.”
Recent successes, such as the activation of a 1,000 km rail corridor linking the Gwanda Lithium Mine to the Port of Maputo, underscore the momentum behind Zimbabwe’s logistics transformation.
Minister Mhona’s lecture is expected to provide clarity on policy direction, infrastructure financing and the operational realities for the sector.
