SADC Ministers Push for Corridor Upgrades

Rutendo Mazhindu
Zim Now Reporter

Harare hosted a high-level SADC Ministerial Round Table Dialogue on Infrastructure yesterday, focusing on the North-South Corridor, a critical transport route linking Southern African countries.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona emphasised the need for regional cooperation in infrastructure investment.

"Cooperation is not new to our great nations. It is anchored in historical, strong foundations, with most of us having shared the same struggles in the fight for independence."

He stressed that improved transport networks would boost trade and economic growth.

"Africa’s population is growing faster than that of any other continent, and our citizens are moving faster. These trends will drive demand and create opportunities for faster mobilities, massive logistical arrangements, and connectivity, in a manner that has never been witnessed before."

SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, Ms. Angèle Makombo N’tumba, said infrastructure development remains central to the region’s economic progress.

"The trade-carrying infrastructure and development corridors remain the prime movers of the region’s integration and overall socio-economic development."

She also highlighted the need for continuous engagement.

"We plan to regularly create opportunities for ministers to dialogue with each other and with development partners. The topics for dialogue will be aligned with the SADC annual theme and will prioritise pressing matters of mutual interest."

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Engineer Joy Makumbe, called for a collective approach to infrastructure improvements.

"As a region, we need to do more regarding integration. We have started in Zimbabwe, where you have seen us rehabilitating the Harare-Beitbridge Road and Harare-Chirundu, linking Beitbridge to Chirundu Border Post."

She emphasised the need for seamless connectivity.

"But then the issue is, what happens next when you get to Chirundu? It doesn’t help if, for example, the road network or border is not good when you get to Zambia. So we need a holistic approach to make sure that the transportation network is efficient. As a region, we need to look at where we can secure funding. We need to approach this as a bloc."

The dialogue, themed "Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustained Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised SADC," brought together regional ministers, permanent secretaries, and key stakeholders.