Itai Ndongwe
HARARE – The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) anticipates allocating 11.6 billion ZiG in financial disbursements to road authorities throughout 2025 for road maintenance and upgrade projects.
This figure marks a substantial increase of approximately 152% from the 4.6 billion ZiG disbursed in 2024. The surge in funding is attributed to improved revenue collection through enhanced assurance mechanisms, as well as the expanded scope of special public interest road projects that necessitate increased financial support.
In a statement, the company commented that, “ZINARA has set aside a proposed budget of 11.6 billion ZWG for financial disbursements for the year and will continue with the momentum to capacitate Road Authorities to draw down their annual budgets effectively.”
In addition to the supporting the road authorities with funding, the ZINARA also made provisions for a further 2million litters of fuel to add to the financial disbursements and also it will continue to provide technical support through periodic refresher training as well project support by the ZINARA provincial engineers.
ZINARA is preparing first-quarter disbursements for 2025 road projects, having received maintenance plans from all 94 Road Authorities. “With the receipt of the 2025 road maintenance plans and programs of work from all 94 Road Authorities, preparations are already underway for the first-quarter disbursements to support these projects,” the company added.
In 2024, a significant improvement in budget utilization was observed, with 53 Road Authorities exceeding 90% expenditure, and 15 achieving 100%.
Mashonaland East, Matabeleland South, and Harare Metropolitan provinces led this achievement, demonstrating exceptional project implementation and improved acquittal systems. This success is attributed to enhanced support from ZINARA Provincial Engineers and targeted training programs.
Additionally, ZINARA successfully piloted fuel disbursements, distributing over 1.9 million liters, with 20 authorities fully utilizing their fuel allocations, further bolstering their operational capacity.
Road Authorities significantly exceeded expectations, completing 37,000 kilometers of planned road work, a 122% achievement and a substantial increase from the previous year’s 23,000 kilometers. This surpasses the initial 30,000-kilometer national target, with notable projects including sections of the Bulawayo-Nkayi and Nyanga-Ruwangwe roads, as well as rehabilitation efforts in Shurugwi, Sanyati, and the greater Harare area.
Regarding the Infralink DBSA Loans, ZINARA paid 430,256,978 ZiG against a budgeted amount of 359,040,000 ZiG. This represents an overpayment of approximately 20%, demonstrating ZINARA’s commitment to debt repayment
