FINANCE and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube has described the recently completed US$20 million Bulawayo Students City, a student accommodation complex in Selbourne Park as economic growth.
Touring the complex located along Gwanda Road in the city, Ncube said: “This project is a public-private partnership and this shows that our public or government institutions can work closely with the private sector to solve issues such as accommodation.
“When you see the size of this facility you also see economic growth, you can imagine the jobs that were created and this shows that the construction sector is contributing to overall economic growth.”
The Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe partnered Old Mutual, Zimnat, Motor Industry Pension Fund and others in the project.
“We have several higher education institutions here in Bulawayo and there has been high demand for affordable students’ accommodation and I am glad that this gap has been filled by the Bulawayo Students’ City project,” he said.
Ncube said the project also spoke to government’s higher education and skills development pillar that sought to upgrade skills across sectors.
“Therefore, we are making sure that the students are comfortable and live in a nice environment where they will be able to upgrade their skills and contribute towards skills and uplift the country,” he added.
