News / National
Zimbabwe battles to fix damaged roads
17 Apr 2021 at 02:13hrs | Views
AUTHORITIES are escalating their bid to rehabilitate all damaged roads in the country after heavy rains pounded the region this past rain season.
Speaking yesterday at the newly-constructed Karanda Bridge in Mt Darwin in Mashonaland Central, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the government was targeting to refurbish at least 10 000km of the road infrastructure.
"In this regard, $33,6 billion has been set aside for the second phase of the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2).
"The rehabilitation will be funded through our own domestic resources and the use of our own talented people," he said.
"I exhort the national road authorities to be focused and purposeful so that this expansive programme is speedily implemented within or ahead of set time frames.
"In addition, it is my expectation that as we roll out this strategic national programme, prudent financial management, good corporate governance, accountability, transparency and value for money remain guiding principles," Mnangagwa added.
Under its new economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy (NDS1), the government is targeting to further improve the country's road network to meet Southern Africa Transport and Communications Commission standards.
Mnangagwa also said yesterday that the ERRP2 was "a people-centred key milestone" with the potential to create thousands of jobs for local communities.
"The devolution and decentralisation agenda is premised on the need to enable the effective participation of communities in development prioritisation, planning, implementation and monitoring.
"Thus, the ERRP2 advances this agenda and also provides opportunities for broad-based empowerment of local private contractors and suppliers.
"The ERRP2 is envisaged to create in excess of 20 000 jobs for local communities, including women and youth.
"Projects under the auspices of this programme should hence be people-centred, results-driven and answer the social and economic needs of communities," Mnangagwa said.
He also said the completion of Karanda Bridge was a demonstration of his administration's commitment to road infrastructure rehabilitation and modernisation.
"It will bring relief to commuters in surrounding communities, particularly patients accessing Karanda Mission Hospital.
"The project was wholly funded by Treasury using internal resources. This is the approach my government will continue to use going forward.
"The rehabilitation and modernisation of the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge road, which has seen 158 kilometres now open to traffic, as well as the Binga-Karoi road development and the Harare-Chirundu, Boli-Sango, Mvurwi-Kanyemba roads, among others, must be appreciated in this context," he added.
Speaking yesterday at the newly-constructed Karanda Bridge in Mt Darwin in Mashonaland Central, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the government was targeting to refurbish at least 10 000km of the road infrastructure.
"In this regard, $33,6 billion has been set aside for the second phase of the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2).
"The rehabilitation will be funded through our own domestic resources and the use of our own talented people," he said.
"I exhort the national road authorities to be focused and purposeful so that this expansive programme is speedily implemented within or ahead of set time frames.
"In addition, it is my expectation that as we roll out this strategic national programme, prudent financial management, good corporate governance, accountability, transparency and value for money remain guiding principles," Mnangagwa added.
Under its new economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy (NDS1), the government is targeting to further improve the country's road network to meet Southern Africa Transport and Communications Commission standards.
Mnangagwa also said yesterday that the ERRP2 was "a people-centred key milestone" with the potential to create thousands of jobs for local communities.
"The devolution and decentralisation agenda is premised on the need to enable the effective participation of communities in development prioritisation, planning, implementation and monitoring.
"Thus, the ERRP2 advances this agenda and also provides opportunities for broad-based empowerment of local private contractors and suppliers.
"The ERRP2 is envisaged to create in excess of 20 000 jobs for local communities, including women and youth.
"Projects under the auspices of this programme should hence be people-centred, results-driven and answer the social and economic needs of communities," Mnangagwa said.
He also said the completion of Karanda Bridge was a demonstration of his administration's commitment to road infrastructure rehabilitation and modernisation.
"It will bring relief to commuters in surrounding communities, particularly patients accessing Karanda Mission Hospital.
"The project was wholly funded by Treasury using internal resources. This is the approach my government will continue to use going forward.
"The rehabilitation and modernisation of the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge road, which has seen 158 kilometres now open to traffic, as well as the Binga-Karoi road development and the Harare-Chirundu, Boli-Sango, Mvurwi-Kanyemba roads, among others, must be appreciated in this context," he added.
Source - dailynews
