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Business Reporter
Lebanese-based engineering group, El-Nour United Engineering for Construction and Commerce  has entered into a joint venture with Harare City Council to construct a $3 million shopping mall in Mbare. El Nour representative Mr Ali Ezzedine told The Herald Business that the project was one of many projects that they were working on as a way of developing infrastructure in Africa.

“The project is worth $3 million and the shopping mall will be called Harare Bazaar and it will include a bus terminus.
“This is one of the projects that we are doing in the country and on the continent as a whole to help develop and de-congest the flow of transport in the central business district,” he said.

Mr Ezzedine said the mall, which is being built on 45 000 square metres of land will have banks, supermarkets and other businesses.
He added that the project will be done in three phases and the first phase is set to be completed by year-end.

“We are going to complete the project in three years and it will be done in phases. Work at the site has already started,” he said.
Mr Ezzedine added that the equity structure of the mall would be negotiated once it has been completed depending on the input of each participant.

Funds for the project are coming from the company’s head office in Beirut as well as other projects that the company has already completed on the continent and from offshore loans.

The initiative is part of the Harare City Council projects which are aimed at developing Harare into a world class city by 2025.
The company has completed projects in Zambia, Mozambique and West Africa. In Zimbabwe, they have done several projects including the renovation of the Gulf complex.