Zim partnering Egypt in urban renewal

Zimbabwe has built 186 000 housing units in a space of two years with only 34 000 left to achieve a set target of 220 000 units by 2025, with the country also exploring a partnership agreement with Egypt for renewal of the major urban centres.

Under the Second Republic, the provision of modern housing to the population has been accelerated with the use of new building technologies as the country is establishing sustainable smart cities where people can live, work and play.

Government last week initiated high level talks with Egypt with a view to tap into the north African country’s example to rolling out an audacious makeover of the country’s cities and towns now characterised by deteriorating infrastructure under the watch of opposition-led councils.

Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga who was recently in Cairo, Egypt, for the Africa Health ExCon led the Zimbabwe delegation in discussions with the Egyptians on the sidelines of the ExCon.

Zimbabwean urban areas, particularly Harare, have experienced deterioration since the opposition took over control of most urban local authorities in 2000.

Some families, in the face of the growing urban populace and massive rural to urban migration, have been forced to live in crammed conditions with adults in some cases, sharing a single room with their children.

This urban state of affairs has thus become one of the single largest threats towards rapid development and improvement in people’s lives and the realisation of President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 of an empowered upper-middle income economy by 2030.

Government is now adopting a pro-active response starting with the ongoing urban infrastructure development programmes including roads rehabilitation and provision of clean and safe drinking water.

To this end, Government is taking advantage of the excellent relations with Egypt and VP Chiwenga emphasised to the Egyptian constructors that the Zimbabwe Government was keen to see the dignity of its people restored through decent accommodation.

Egypt is currently finalising the construction of a new capital city, which was toured by VP Chiwenga and his delegation last week, and up to 21 new cities as it moves to cope with the demands of decongesting their current cities.

Their experience will thus be handy for Zimbabwe.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Raymore Machingura, who was part of the deliberations, said: “The discussion with the engineers from the construction industry association of the Arab Republic of Egypt centred on two major things: the provision of smart cities and what we call urban renewal,” said Deputy Minister Machingura.

“When the Vice President was speaking, he was actually looking at restoring the dignity of our people in Zimbabwe, for example when you look at some flats in urban areas where parents share the same bedroom with older kids, that doesn’t do us any good.

“Now Government wants to restore that dignity of our people through urban renewal, once that is done people regain their confidence and even at work and in the production systems they can participate in a meaningful way, even the kids can perform better at school.

“The other, we have seen for ourselves, what the Egyptians can do. We are told that when President El-Sisi came into power, things like bridge construction would take up to three years but the duration was initially reduced to one year and now it takes them 56 days.

“We are seeing almost the same thing in Zimbabwe. When the Second Republic came into power, the way things are now done is more efficient than in the past,” said the Deputy Minister.

Egyptian Federation for Construction and Building Contractors Association president Engineer Hassan Abdel Aziz said his membership was ready to partner Government as they have already undertaken similar and even bigger projects as required by Zimbabwe.

“There is very big potential there (in Zimbabwe) and we are ready to start immediately and we will be happy to support our brothers in Zimbabwe,” said Engineer Aziz. We have a huge membership of big and professional construction companies. Some of these companies are already working outside Egypt in Arab countries and African countries on a number of projects ranging from water, roads, new cities and smart cities,” he said.

Interestingly, the Egyptians are so very well informed about the Zimbabwean construction industry and are satisfied with locally available materials which they would be willing to use.

This would be a huge fillip for the local cement industry and the steel industry where Dinson Iron and Steel Company are building what will become the biggest steel company in Southern Africa.

Speaking at the high level second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly in Kenya recently, the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities Daniel Garwe said Zimbabwe subscribed to Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

The Assembly is the highest-level decision-making body on urban issues within the UN system composed of 193 UN member States and meets once in four years.

Minister Garwe said under the Agenda 2030 the domain of human settlements development, as guided by SDG 11 for sustainable cities and towns, is being driven accordingly under the leadership of President Mnangagwa.

“Coordinative efforts are also under way to develop all our marginalized communities as per the mantra, ‘leave no one and no place behind’ and is enshrined in our national Vision 2030 of becoming an Upper Middle Income society by 2030.

“Our National Development Strategy (NDS) 1’s objective of delivering a total of 220 000 housing units by 2025 has seen 186 000 units built within two years from inception,” he said.

“New Building Technologies will also ensure delivery of settlements that are sustainable, modern and affordable.

“The rapid urbanisation in Zimbabwe has given rise to the proliferation of informal and irregular settlements that require regularization, sanitisation and the subsequent issuance of title deeds to ensure land access and security of tenure,” he said.

Minister Garwe said the Government was also working on urban regeneration of derelict housing units replacing them with high rise flats which were in conformity with the densification policy.

“In terms of financial resource mobilisation, engagements with private sector institutions is underway as we are exploring mortgage systems that are consistent with the prevailing economic environment.

“It is pertinent to note that the current untenable macro-economic environment was occasioned by the imposition of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe by the West in response to our land reform programme,” he said.

Minister Garwe said pursuant to the Vision 2030 of an Upper Middle-Income Economy by 2030, Government was championing a programme on rural transformation which ensures that clean water, sanitation and decent houses were provided in rural communities.

“It is indeed our national philosophy that a country is best developed by its citizens, brick by brick and stone upon stone,” he said.-herald