. Bulawayo, (New Ziana) – Infrastructure is a key ingredient for sustainable development, capable of creating employment and uplifting living standards for citizens, a cabinet minister has said.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Felix Mhona, made the remarks at the 2025 edition of the Built Environment Conference and Expo. This year’s event is running under the theme, “Smart Moves: Powering Zimbabwe’s Infrastructure Evolution.”
It is co-organized by the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development. It brought together stakeholders from across the built environment value chain, including architects, engineers, urban planners, policymakers, investors, and development partners.
“Infrastructure is a key ingredient for sustainable development. All countries need efficient transport, housing, sanitation, energy, and communication systems to prosper and provide a decent standard of living for their populations,” Mhona said.
He noted that insufficient or poor infrastructure limits citizens’ access to markets, livelihood opportunities, and essential services such as clean water, education, health, transport, and communication. “Overall, poor infrastructure can slow economic growth and increase poverty and inequality.
It is apparent that infrastructure development is a prerequisite for poverty alleviation and employment creation in developing countries such as Zimbabwe,” Mhona said. He emphasized that well-developed infrastructure ensures better living conditions for the general population and improves the competitiveness of private businesses.
“In addition to the output and productivity effects, infrastructure investment directly and indirectly creates more jobs than other types of investments,” Mhona added. He pointed out that the performance of the infrastructure sector in the country had declined due to many factors, including a lack of an integrated approach in infrastructure investment planning.
“Other factors include inadequate funding for maintenance and rehabilitation, low investment in infrastructure from both the public and private sectors, and inadequate funding for capital and operating expenditure.
“There were also capacity constraints due to the migration of skilled personnel, procurement delays, and poor contract management,” he explained. To turn the tide, he said collective measures were instituted under the Second Republic, which launched a new development trajectory aimed at achieving an Upper Middle-Income Economy Status by 2030 to empower its citizens.
“Thus, the country targets the restoration of basic infrastructure services such as roads, energy, transport, water and sanitation, technology, and housing,” he said. Mhona said overcoming infrastructure deficits is a daunting but not insurmountable challenge, requiring a comprehensive strategy that combines innovative financing, strategic partnerships, technology adoption, and community engagement.
“By addressing these deficits, we unlock the immense potential of communities, fostering economic growth, improving quality of life, and ensuring a sustainable future. “In that same vein, the journey towards bridging the infrastructure gap is a collective one, necessitating collaboration among all stakeholders to envision and build resilient, sustainable, and prosperous communities,” said the minister.
Mhona outlined that to achieve improved infrastructure and access to services, the government is implementing several strategies. These include maintaining and repairing existing infrastructure and equipment, completing ongoing and stalled projects, and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in infrastructure.
“Under the National Development Strategy (NDS1), the government is upscaling private sector investment in the provision of public infrastructure and promoting facilities that cater for people with disabilities.
“We are also promoting research and development in infrastructure, as well as capacitating implementing agencies. Designing and implementing climate-proofing and resilient infrastructure and promoting infrastructure sharing are some of the other strategies being implemented,”the minister said.
New Ziana
