by Shongedzai Mugwagwa
A high powered delegation of Government officials led by Vice President Retired General Constantino Chiwenga, has visited Kanyemba border post in Mbire district, Mashonaland Central province for an assessment of various tourists and trade opportunities to be rolled out this year, the Harare Post reports.
The delegation comprised of Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube, Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Perrence Shiri, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Engineer Joel Biggie Matiza, Minister of Energy and Power Development, Advocate Fortune Chasi, Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Dr John Mangudya.
In line with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision 2030 of making Zimbabwe a middle income economy by 2030, the country’s trade relations with Zambia and Mozambique are set for a major transformation following the finalisation of a pontoon (floating) bridge at the Kanyemba Border Post.
The multi-million dollar project which is to establish a floating bridge that will be used as a deck to ferry heavy trucks across the Zambezi into Zambia and Mozambique, is one of the important developments that will be commissioned this year.
Mbire district has been designated as a special economic zone for tourists, trade and agriculture by the Government.
VP Chiwenga and the delegation will tour the pontoon landing area, Chapoto rural health centre, Kanyemba aerodrome, Mariga Primary School and sites designated for irrigation purposes which have already been cleared.
Of interest will be the Kanyemba Bridge project which will create the shortest route linking Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique thereby reducing the link distance by a massive 550 kilometres, thus cutting costs on fuel and time.
Available information is that the floating bridge or pontoon landing bay at the border post is now finalised with Zambian and Mozambican authorities standing ready for the project to take off this year.
The Harare Post can also reveal that the project will be funded through an agreement with the Government of Japan and will thus be critical in boosting trade statistics among the three nations and revive the operations of the border post which had retreated into a ghost point due to inactivity.
Supportive infrastructure such as the road network to the area has been worked on with revelations that five kilometres of the approach road to the pontoon landing bay is complete with a drivable surface.
