Chinese firm seeks national project status

Published: 24 August 2017

ZHEJIANG Bayong Highway Engineering International, the Chinese company contracted to undertake construction work for the dualisation of the $1 billion Beitbridge -Harare Highway, has approached the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development seeking national project status which will enable it among other things, to import specialised road construction equipment duty free.

Geiger International of Austria, which will finance the highway dualisation projects, won the tender for the national road project, which is expected to be completed in the next three years and will work hand in glove with the Chinese firm.

Besides the $984 million Beitbridge-Masvingo Highway, Government is also spearheading the dualisation of Harare-Chirundu Highway at a cost of $686 million and Harare Ring Road at a cost of $300 million.

Said Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo: "Officials from Bayong International, a company contracted to dualise the Beitbridge-Harare Highway, met Finance and Economic Development Ministry officials last week seeking duty exemption on the equipment they want to import from China.

"A Statutory Instrument to that effect by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is expected to be gazetted soon. For projects of such magnitude there is a type of equipment that is not locally available that need to be imported. It's not that they want to re-sale the equipment, but use it for the project and we do not expect any problems at all."

Geiger International was contracted by Government to carry out the project under a 25-year build-operate-transfer (BOT) model at a cost of $984 million and is expected to complete the construction work by 2020. The project contractor is already busy with pre-commencement works following a ground-breaking ceremony for the dualisation commissioned by President Mugabe in May this year.

"We want to advise that projects of such nature are involving, there is a lot of work that need to be done before proper construction starts. So far 45 engineers from the company are on the ground. By the end of October they must be on the ground working. We have new 37 bridges that need to be constructed and we are hopeful that by 2019 or 2020 the road must be complete. People must understand the delay because Geiger International had to negotiate with Bayong International after its negotiations with another company failed," Minister Gumbo.
- the herald

Tags: Dualisation,