Japanese company to upgrade only 7.2km stretch of Harare-Chirundu Highway

Japanese company Dai Nippon Construction has been awarded a contract to upgrade a 7.2-kilometre stretch of the Harare-Chirundu Road, a critical regional trade route linking Zimbabwe with neighboring countries.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development confirmed the development in a statement this week. Permanent Secretary Engineer Joy Makumbe signed the contract on behalf of the government on November 15.

The project will focus on the Wafa-Wafa area in Mashonaland West and involves significant safety improvements, including the addition of a climbing lane, curve modifications, and the installation of drainage facilities and other structures.

This initiative is part of the larger US$550 million Harare-Chirundu highway upgrade, which resumed in August. Five local companies - Tensor Systems, Bitumen World, Masimba, Fossil, and Exodus and Company - are currently working on widening and partially dualizing sections of the 352-kilometre road. Each company has been assigned a 67-kilometre stretch.

The Harare-Chirundu highway is a vital transport corridor connecting Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa to Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania.

The government has set an ambitious completion deadline of August 2025 for the highway upgrade, following a ground-breaking ceremony held in February this year.

The improvements are expected to enhance road safety, reduce travel time, and bolster regional trade by improving the efficiency of this key transport route.