Zimbabwe’s Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport is set to get a massive makeover to the tune of US$150 million.

As reported by Construction Review Online, the upgrade includes the expansion of the international terminal building and aprons, and the installation of four new air bridges; a second radar system; a VVIP pavilion; an airfield grounding system; and communication systems. The overall aim of the project is to modernise the existing airport infrastructure (in alignment with global standards) and boost tourism.

Funded through a concessionary loan from China Exim Bank and due to be complete in 2021, the project is expected to help ease unemployment.

‘This project will create employment opportunities for women and youths, among others, during its implementation, as well as trigger demand for various raw materials, thereby improving capacity utilisation in our local industry,’ according to Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The upgrade will also result in an increase in annual visitor arrivals – from 2.5 million to around 6 million.

‘It supports the broader national aspirations towards transport and infrastructure network in the country, as we endeavour to provide enablers to fully industrialise and modernise the economy,’ he says, describing the project is ‘a catalyst to economic development’.

31 July 2018
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