The government of Zimbabwe has commenced tarring process of the 300-kilometre Karoi-Binga Road after the Treasury availed US $10m to complete the project.
Speaking during a work inspectorate tour, District Development Fund (DDF) National Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Wilfred Kachitsa said that the Government has adopted a self-funding model to upgrade roads across the country.
He further pointed out that the approximate budget for the road completion is US $300m. “The funds originating from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development have seen the completion of the first 10 km of the road and the tarring is conducted by the DDF.
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Karoi-Binga road
Karoi-Binga road extends by 300- kilometer and is expected to serve as a shorter alternative for the persons moving from Harare to Victoria Falls. It is expected to cut the distance by at least 200km.
Almost two decades after the government’s commitment to linking Karoi and Binga through 300-kilometer road, the venture remained a pie in the sky. After commissioning the road project in 1990 by President Robert Mugabe, only 30km of the road was tarred and the project abandoned with more than 200km remaining.
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The project, which started in November last year, was expected to end in the next three months. However it experienced delays due unapproved budged proposal by the Ministry of Finance. A 10km detour has since been constructed to minimize disruptions during the road’s upgrades.
Mr Wilfred Kachitsa said that the road surfacing programme will be done in phases with a target of 10 km per every quarter. DDF director of roads Engineer Goodwell Mapako added that the project implementing partners have the requisite capital equipment for the task before them.
