Funny Hudzerema and Daniel Kachere
Government remains committed to the development of infrastructure which is vital to adequate water provision, investment, economic growth and industrialisation, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

He said this yesterday as he officially opened the Water Resources Infrastructure Investment Summit in Harare.

The summit set to end tomorrow.

“The Government of Zimbabwe fully appreciates the fact that limited water infrastructure inhibits the investment of productive capital, raises production costs, leads to the loss of a lot of production time due to water shortages and results in high prices of finished goods.

“Cognisant of the fact that limited water infrastructure is a major threat to any envisaged economic growth and competitiveness, we have supported this conference so that we can talk about the potential investments in the water sector,” he said.

“Because of the critical role played by water in our lives, Government has deliberately given the National Project Status to most water infrastructure projects to accord them the benefits and exemptions that go with this status.”

He added that Government had also acknowledged the central role water plays in its economic blueprint (Zim-Asset) where ‘quick win projects’ need to be done.

Vice President Mnangagwa said Government was ready to hit the ground running once the right partners were found to execute water infrastructure and complete them in the shortest possible time.

He said time to invest in the water sector had become more imperative now than ever before and convinced investors that the Government would create a conducive environment for them.

“We are a country that observes and respects the rights of investors and as Government we are prepared to listen to investor concerns and address them with the aim of making sure that we bring the cost of doing business in Zimbabwe to the barest minimum. Government continues to provide the necessary legal and administrative frameworks that have proved to be international best practice,” he said.

The summit, the first of its kind in the history of Zimbabwe’s water sector brought Government, cooperating partners, development banks, the private sector and the investing community to discuss various ways to propel Zimbabwe forward as an integral part of SADC and the AU.

Over 300 delegates from different countries are attending the summit.

Government needs over $5 billion to revamp or complete water infrastructure projects throughout the country.

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