JOHANNESBURG, Sept 22 – Zimbabwe has secured a funding agreement with private-sector partners to upgrade the Chirundu border post with Zambia, clearing the way for construction on a project designed to reduce congestion along one of Southern Africa’s key trade routes.
The agreement between the Zimbabwean government and the Chirundu Border Consortium will enable work to begin on the modernization project, according to the country’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development.
Chirundu is a strategic crossing on the North-South Corridor, linking ports in South Africa and Mozambique with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Copperbelt.
The border handles substantial volumes of regional freight, including copper, cobalt, fuel, mining equipment, reagents, fertilizers and other goods. Trucks using the crossing have frequently faced congestion and lengthy processing delays.
The modernization programme will replace aging infrastructure and introduce upgraded operational and processing systems aimed at improving cargo clearance and reducing bottlenecks, the ministry said.
$66.8 Million Border Modernization Project
The ministry did not disclose the final investment value of the public-private partnership. Zimbabwe’s Cabinet had previously estimated the project at $66.8 million, with private investors expected to operate the facility for 20 years under a concession agreement.
The project is being led by Safaga International, which was also involved in the $300 million modernization of Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge border post with South Africa.
South Africa’s Strategic Partners Group is participating as a strategic investor, while Standard Bank is serving as lead debt arranger and senior lender.
Chirundu was inaugurated in 2009 as Africa’s first one-stop border post, establishing a model intended to streamline customs and immigration procedures between neighbouring countries.
Its modernization comes as regional trade volumes and mineral shipments through the North-South Corridor continue to place pressure on existing border infrastructure.
Improving the crossing could reduce transit times for freight moving between the Copperbelt and southern African ports, with potential implications for the movement of critical minerals and other industrial goods across the region.
