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Minister Joram Gumbo

Felex Share Senior Reporter
China is satisfied with progress made in the implementation of projects that have taken off under mega deals signed when President Mugabe made a State visit to the Asian country last year.

A Chinese delegation, which is in Zimbabwe for site visits and discussions on the state of the projects, yesterday said it was impressed.

The mega deals are in critical sectors such as energy, roads, national rail network, telecommunications, agriculture and tourism.

The nine-member delegation, led by China International Trade representative Mr Zhang Xiangchen held discussions with Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Joram Gumbo yesterday on the progress made on the dualisation of major roads and expansion of the Victoria Falls International Airport and what needed to be done to refurbish the rail network.

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This was after the delegation toured the Victoria Falls International Airport which is being expanded with the $150 million secured from the China Exim Bank.

To date, $120 million has been released for the project which entails expansion of the runway, upgrading of the domestic terminal building, construction of a new fire station and a new control tower.

The project is 90 percent complete.

“They are very impressed with the progress that has been made on the ground,” said Minister Gumbo. “The last time they visited it was not like that and we are almost complete. They are happy.”

Minister Gumbo said they had also discussed other areas where Zimbabwe needed concessionary loans.

“We touched on the aviation industry where we need them to assist us in opening an aviation training centre for our locals,” he said.

“We talked on the progress made on the dualisation of the country’s major roads as well as the refurbishment of Harare, Kariba, Buffalo and Joshua Nkomo airports and rehabilitation of the railway line.”

Government has already invited firms to submit bids for the dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge and the Harare-Chirundu highways, with three of the 12 bidders having been forwarded to Government for final selection.

The road provides a key link between Zimbabwe and South Africa, its major trading partner in the region and also provides access for several countries in the region.

Minister Gumbo said during the meeting he emphasised that Chinese contractors should use local materials in executing their work and should also partner with local companies.

“They said they were willing to work with us, but they also stressed on public private partnerships, especially on the road projects so that there is dual ownership,” he said.

The Chinese delegation also met Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Supa Mandiwanzira and discussed projects under the telecommunications sector.

Today, the delegation is expected to meet Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and various ministers led by Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.

Discussions are expected on the expansion of Hwange Thermal Power Station where the financial closure is expected to be sealed before end of year.

The $1,1 billion project, being implemented by Sino Hydro of China, is expected to add 600MW to the national grid.

Work on the expansion of Kariba Power Station is underway. This is expected to add 300MW to the national grid at a cost of $533 million.

China has agreed to immediately bankroll a number of selected infrastructure projects with experts from the National Development and Reform Commission — the Asian country’s economic planning body — visiting the country recently to verify the bankability of the projects before financing them.

The financial support to the much-needed key economic enablers is expected to create thousands of jobs and spur economic growth.

The delegation would also focus on special economic zones, construction of the national pharmaceuticals warehouse and construction of the new Parliament Building.