Construction industry ready to advance Govt’s infrastructure plan

The Construction Industry Federation of Zimbabwe (CIFOZ) says local sector players are prepared to advance the Government’s infrastructure development plan.

The Government has identified infrastructure as one of the key economic enablers of economic development and growth; hence, priority has been given to infrastructural development projects such as road and dam rehabilitation and construction projects, irrigation rehabilitation and housing programmes.

Infrastructure development remains a key enabler to the Government’s vision of transforming Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy by 2030, which is anchored by the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), a five-year economic blueprint launched in 2021.

CIFOZ chief executive, Mr Martin Chingaira, in an interview said Government projects are found at the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA), where contractors should continue to scout and get bankable projects that they can make money from.

“The Government is there to help contractors with bankable projects and remove areas that may be of any hindrance, and this is an opportunity for long-term investment for contractors,” he said.

Mr Chingaira said contractors must also be in a position to have a changed mindset where they cannot only wait for the Government to float tenders but actually be in a position to start growing the economy through their own initiatives.

“The private sector is there to build infrastructure on behalf of the Government and make money. This will result in mass employment,” he said.

Mr Chingaira indicated that the Government has embarked on devolution and contractors should visit the local authorities to ask which projects are going to be covered by the Devolution fund.

Private players have also continued to participate in the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme under Phase II, under which the Government has placed priority on trunk and tertiary road projects in provinces and districts, as well as major arteries in urban areas.

The local construction industry has shown the ability to undertake huge projects, as demonstrated by local contractors working on the Beitbridge-Harare and Harare-Chirundu highways, who have acquitted themselves well as a confirmation of the local industry’s ability to do huge projects.

The five companies contracted by the Government to undertake roadworks are Masimba Holdings, Tensor Systems, Fossil Contractors, Exodus & Company, and Bitumen World, and the five were each allocated minimum stretches.-herald