Harare, Zimbabwe – The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) has announced a historic milestone in road maintenance funding, disbursing a record ZWG 4.7 billion to road authorities in 2024 and achieving 37,000km of roadworks nationwide.
63 out of 94 road authorities accessed their full allocations—a sharp increase from just over 20 authorities in 2023. Manicaland and Mashonaland East had all their road authorities fully utilize their budgets an improvement attributed to enhanced revenue collection on the part of the road fund manager, as well as improved acquittal and project management systems by the road authorities. This is also influenced by the specialized training programs provided by ZINARA which have strengthened project management and financial accountability among road authorities.
ZINARA’s Chief Executive Officer, Nkosinathi Ncube, highlighted the organization’s commitment to transparency and shared accountability. “We are a public entity, and it is our duty to be accountable to the public. The increased budget utilization by road authorities is a clear indication that our efforts are bearing fruit,” said Ncube.
With regards to the impact of this record funds uptake on road maintenance, the year 2024 marked a giant leap towards Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, with road authorities achieving 122% of their planned works. A total of 37,000 kilometers of roads were maintained, far exceeding the national target of 30,000 kilometers and surpassing the previous year’s achievement of 23,000 kilometers. Key projects included the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Nkayi road, the Nyanga-Ruwangwe resurfacing project, and the Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe 42km road rehabilitation, among others.
Zinara CEO emphasized that road authorities responsibility was not only on ensuring that the funds allocated to them go further, but rather, that the quality of work guaranteed that the roads would sustain for longer. He therefore urged road authorities to ensure contractors deliver quality work to maximize the impact of allocated resources, and encourage their communities
Looking ahead to 2025, ZINARA has set an ambitious budget of ZWG 11.6 billion under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 (ERRP2). This represents a substantial increase from the previous year’s allocation. Additionally, following on the commendable impact of last year, ZINARA plans to provide 2 million litres of fuel to road authorities to address operational challenges and further enhance road rehabilitation efforts.
The 2024 disbursement report underscores a new era of efficiency and accountability in Zimbabwe’s road maintenance sector. Given the substantially high among to rainfall received this year, road conditions have significantly been compromised. Consequently the quantum of roads in need of maintenance is considerable and with improved budget utilization, increased funding, and targeted support, ZINARA is paving the way effective road works for the year. As preparations for 2025 disbursements are already underway, the organization remains committed to driving national development through robust infrastructure projects.
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The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) is a corporate body established in terms of the Road Act (Chapter 13:18). The body was established in 2002 in line with Government’s commitment to prioritize the enhancement of a good road network system throughout the country. The mandate of ZINARA is to fix, collect, disburse road user charges and mobilize revenue for roads development and maintenance. It also encompasses the monitoring of such funds that would have been disbursed for road maintenance to road authorities.
