Zimpapers Logo

Lovemore Chikova Development Dialogue
Massive roads rehabilitation works being carried out in various parts of the country are an epitome of the progress being made by the New Dispensation in its commitment to changing the country’s economic status.

The work shows a sound understanding of the important link between a good road network and development.

Without a good road network, it will be practically impossible to attract visitors such as tourists and investors, both with the potential to contribute immensely to the development of the country.

It will also be difficult for people to do business among themselves locally if they cannot travel easily to the next destination. Those who travelled along the Harare-Beitbridge Highway in recent times will testify of the enormous changes that have happened to some sections of the busy road, albeit using local financial resources.

In many other sections, detours have been created along the road, some running for several kilometres, as the original tarred road is being completely removed.

But this is not taking place on the Harare-Beitbridge Highway alone.

Rehabilitation work is underway on sections of the Harare-Chirundu Highway, where engineers are employing the latest technologies in road construction.

Japan extended a US$21 million grant to the Government of Zimbabwe for the road project aimed at improving the steep gradients on the Makuti-Chirundu section of the North-South corridor.

The project is expected to be a turning point in road construction and upgrade as the existing stretch of the road will see the application of the cement-formed asphalt stabilised-base technology, which is expected to cut costs and speed up road projects.

Roads targeted for rehabilitation or already being rehabilitated in Matabeleland South are: Gwanda-Maphisa, Maphisa-Mpoengs, Gwanda-Guyu-Manama-Tuli, while in Matabeleland North they are Dete-Binga Road and Binga-Karoi Road.

In the Midlands, the roads are Mberengwa-West Nicholson, Gokwe-Siyabuwa, Kwekwe-Nkayi, Mberengwa-Mataga, Jeka Bridge, Kwekwe-Gokwe and Kawonga Shelvert.

Mashonaland East has Hwedza-Sadza, Mushandirapamwe-Hwedza, Beatrice-Mubaira, Zaire-Chingondo, and in Mashonaland Central the roads are Guruve-Kanyemba and Mt Darwin-Mukumbura.

In Mashonaland West, the roads being worked on are Golden Valley-Sanyati, Skyline-Mubaira-Chegutu, Alaska-Copper Queen, Kirkman Road.

Masvingo has Kapota-Zimuto, Chilonga Bridge, Gutu-Buhera, Mhandamahwe-Chivi-Tokwe, Rutenga-Zvishavane, Chartsworth-Gutu, Rutenga-Boli-Chicualacuala.

In Manicaland, the roads are Ngundu-Tanganda, Nyamangura Bridge, Murambinda-Birchenough, Nyanga-Ruwangwe, Odzi-Marange-Zviripiri, while Matabeleland North has Victoria Falls-Bulawayo, Bulawayo-Nkayi and Bulawayo-Tsholotsho.

In rehabilitating these roads, the New Dispensation is precisely on point because roads act like veins which carry the economic pulse that leads to development.

In fact, there is a huge correlation between a good road network and development, and a country well linked internally and with other countries is highly rated on the ease of doing business index.

The fact that Zimbabwe’s road network transcends national boundaries, and that the country is landlocked, leads to the roads rehabilitation programme being considered within the regional development context.

There are a lot of countries north of the Limpopo River which depend on local roads to transport their goods to sea ports in Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia.

When investors intent to invest in a country, one of the areas they are likely to consider is the state of the road network.

The investors will be thinking about how they will be able to access local and regional markets, and how they will get people connected to their projects.

They will also be concerned about how they will move their goods out of the country, especially if they involved in export oriented projects.

This means a good and reliable road network is important to the revival of the economy in Zimbabwe, especially when the country is emphasising on attracting both local and foreign investors. The strong relationship between a good road network and economic development brings a positive vibe to anyone with money who might want to invest it in the country.

Emerging economies in other parts of the world have used state-of-the-art road networks as a marketing point for the attraction of investors.

The road networks are acting as a back-up to the industrialisation and modernisation of the particular countries, especially those referred to as the Asian tigers, and China.

Industries dealing in perishables like fish and horticultural products would feel at easy if the country’s road network is excellent and well connected with other countries.

As is envisaged under Vision 2030 of achieving an upper middle income economy, Zimbabwe has embarked on an industrialisation and modernisation process, and a good network will complement this developmental trajectory.

Raw materials will need to be moved, especially from farming areas to the industries, and this cannot be done efficiently without a good road network.

People in rural areas will also benefit immensely as goods can easily be moved from production centres, thus helping bridge the gap that exist between them and urban areas.

This will lead to a reduction in poverty, as many people in marginalised areas are able to participate and reap the benefits of economic progress. This is why it is important that the Government programme on road rehabilitation is touching on roads in all parts of the country, including those in districts.

An all-inclusive economy is being created through the roads rehabilitation programme, which will result in people easily participating in developmental activities because of easy movement.

There is a competitive advantage that comes with a good road network as goods are moved easily, leading to the growth of other sectors like agriculture and industry and trade.

The roads rehabilitation programme is part of the Government’s infrastructure development programme that will revamp the country to new standards of doing business.

A country with a good infrastructure has a solid base for starting its developmental journey. As part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Transport, Communications, and Meteorology (1996), Zimbabwe is taking a lead in reforming its roads sector in line with the aspirations of the region.

The protocol compels member states to up their game in roads management and maintenance, to ensure easy access both locally and regionally for the benefit of the economy.

Zimbabwe’s road network is about 88 133km, 14 000km of which are surfaced, 50 000km are all-weather and the remainder are earth roads.

The roads are classified in relation to their functions. There are regional trunk roads which cover roughly 3 391km with 94 percent of them surfaced.

Secondary roads and tertiary roads also make up the road network in Zimbabwe.

Secondary roads link regional, primary, tertiary and urban roads, industrial and mining centres, minor borders and tourist attractions.

Roads that provide access to schools, health centres, dip tanks and other facilities in rural district council areas or link and give access to secondary and regional roads are referred to as tertiary roads.

The road network is incomplete without bridges that enable road and rail crossing of waterways, flyovers, interchanges, road over road and road over rail.

There are approximately 1 051 bridges in Zimbabwe.

[email protected]