Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) has secured a US$400 million infrastructure financing package to accelerate the rehabilitation of three major highways that serve as economic lifelines, linking production centres, tourism destinations and regional trade corridors.
Zinara, a parastatal responsible for mobilising, collecting and managing funds for the maintenance of Zimbabwe’s national road network, secured the CBZ infrastructure bond backed by its ring-fenced funds to finance works on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls, Harare-Chirundu and Beitbridge-Harare highways.
The investment comes as the Second Republic intensifies efforts to modernise the country’s transport infrastructure, recognising that reliable roads are essential for reducing the cost of doing business, improving the movement of goods and people and strengthening Zimbabwe’s competitiveness as a regional trade and investment destination.
The three highways have strategic economic significance beyond domestic connectivity. The Beitbridge-Harare Highway is a critical route for trade with South Africa and the movement of imports and exports. At the same time, the Harare-Chirundu Highway connects Zimbabwe to Zambia and markets further north.
The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway links the country’s second-largest city to Matabeleland North and Victoria Falls, one of Zimbabwe’s prime tourism destinations.
Responding to questions from Zimpapers yesterday, Zinara confirmed it would channel the financing to the three projects, which fall under the Department of Roads in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
“The funding is mainly for the Beitbridge-Harare, Harare-Chirundu and Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway projects. On the matter of provincial allocations, this is not applicable, as the funding is being used on the indicated road projects, which are all under the Department of Roads within the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development,” said Zinara.
The funding provides an opportunity to accelerate work on key transport routes at a time when the country seeks to strengthen its productive capacity, improve logistics and derive greater value from its strategic position within the region.
Under the Second Republic, infrastructure rehabilitation has been a crucial component of the Government’s development agenda, with investment in roads, bridges, energy and other enabling infrastructure intended to support economic growth and the attainment of an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
The thrust is consistent with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which places economic transformation, infrastructure development and improved competitiveness among the priorities for sustainable growth.
Efficient road networks are particularly important for Zimbabwe’s mining, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism sectors, which depend on reliable transport to move raw materials, agricultural produce, equipment and finished goods to domestic and export markets.
For businesses, better roads can reduce vehicle operating costs, minimise delays and improve the predictability of deliveries. For communities along the affected routes, improved infrastructure can enhance access to markets, healthcare, education and employment opportunities.
The latest development comes as construction on the economically important Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway has resumed, with all eight contractors reportedly back on site following months of inactivity.
Each contractor is targeting 20 kilometres of road works before the end of the year, a development expected to accelerate rehabilitation of the route connecting Bulawayo with communities in Matabeleland North and the country’s tourism hub, Victoria Falls.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr Nick Mangwana, recently said construction was progressing in phases, including bush clearing, detour construction, earthworks, drainage installation, surfacing and road widening.
Once the contractors complete their targeted year-end works, more than 50 percent of the highway is expected to be open to traffic.
The highway is important to the tourism industry, providing a major road connection between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls while serving communities and businesses along the route. Its rehabilitation is expected to improve the movement of tourists, transport operators and commercial traffic.
The Beitbridge-Harare Highway is a key component of Zimbabwe’s north-south transport network, supporting the movement of goods between South Africa, Zimbabwe and other regional destinations.
The Harare-Chirundu route serves as another strategic link, connecting Zimbabwe to Zambia through the Chirundu border post and facilitating trade with markets in the wider Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region.
Rehabilitating the three highways has implications for Zimbabwe’s participation in regional value chains and efforts to increase exports by making the movement of goods more efficient.
The investment also speaks to the broader infrastructure requirements of regional integration, where trade agreements and market access must be supported by dependable transport networks to translate into increased production, investment and commercial activity.
