The government of Japan is set to extend a US$700 000 grant to Zimbabwe for phase two of the steep section between Makuti and Hell’s Gate, NewsDay reported.
In 2018, Japan extended a US$21 million grant for phase 1 of the 6.5km Makuti – Hell’s Gate section construction which opened in May 2021.
The completion of the first phase of the road resulted in the construction of climbing lanes and the widening of sharp curves.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the grant agreement in Harare yesterday, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube said the construction of the climbing lane would help reduce the number of accidents as it would allow a smooth flow of traffic and safe overtaking. Ncube said:
The project will go a long way in improving ease of doing business in that traffic will flow smoothly, thereby reducing the time spent on the road for transit trucks and trucks delivering products to and from the country.
The exchange notes and grant agreement were signed by Ncube, the Japanese ambassador to Zimbabwe Satoshi Tanaka and the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) representative to Zimbabwe, Kyosuke Kawazumi.
The project will be implemented by JICA engineers in collaboration with engineers from the Transport and Infrastructural Development ministry.
In a joint statement, the parties said the North-South Corridor was a vital international trunk road for Zimbabwe and the region at a time when regional integration is underway through the Southern African Development Community and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
The Chirundu-Harare road is part of the Regional Trunk Road Network (RTRN Link Nr 22) as well as the Trans-African Highway Nr 9. Link 1 runs a distance of 75 km from Chirundu Border Post to Hells Gate.
The African Union expects it to become the busiest transport corridor by 2040.
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