The US$153 million Robert Gabriel Mugabe RGM International Airport expansion works is well underway with 22 percent of the works already done with a scheduled completion date of end 2021.
The expansion
The RGM International Airport expansion works entails expanding the international terminal building and aprons and installation of four new air bridges. A VVIP pavilion will also be constructed. The project will also include upgrade of the ground lighting system and communication systems and along with this will be service equipment such as ambulances, universal towing vehicles, airside buses and fire-fighting vehicles.
The works are being undertaken by Chinese construction company China Jiangsu International who also undertook the expansion works for the Victoria Falls International Airport om 2016 that was a great boost for the tourist circuit in the region.
The funding for the RGM International Airport expansion works has been through a concessionary loan from the China Exim Bank that was availed after a state visit to Beijing by President Mnangagwa in 2018
Joel Biggie Matiza, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister said recently that Government was impressed with the progress works so far. The 36-month project happens to be one of the vital infrastructure development ventures undertaken by the Second Republic in 2019. It is expected that once complete teh airport will be able to handle 6 million passengers annually.
The Robert Gabriel Mugabe (RGM) International Airport is one of the projects that was recently in the spotlight when the Chinese financial institutions suspended financing because the Zimbabwe government raided an escrow account at The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and withdrew US$10m and converted it to local currency. The other affected projects were the Hwangwe Coal Fired Power Station and the NetOne telecoms expansion project. The Zimbabwe governments action effectively put US$1.3billion on the line.
Extract from constructionreviewonline.com