Zinara disburses ZWG2.7 bln in 9 months to Sept

The disbursed funds have significantly supported much-needed road rehabilitation efforts in both urban and rural areas, and ZINARA’s  strategic funding mix has ensured that local authorities have the necessary resources, which has contributed to improved road conditions and enhanced accessibility across the country.

In the statement, ” ZINARA has made significant strides  in funding the maintenance of the nation’s road infrastructure through the disbursement of close to ZWG2.7 billion to the various road authorities across the country.”

Furthermore, Zinara has routinely provided fuel to these authorities  for road maintenance activities as part of the funds it has disbursed.  “This amount includes fuel disbursements of 1.5 million litres drawn down during the period in line with ZINARA’s strategic agenda to capacitate RoadAuthorities,” ZINARA added.

The funds have been disbursed across respective categories of road authorities, resulting in a 91% uptake against the annual budget, while 80% of provinces have accessed more than half of their allocation, and projects currently underway are expected to significantly increase uptake by the end of the year.

According to the report Harare Metropolitan Province had an 88% uptake due to the Harare City Council’s 98% budget utilisation, which was driven by substantial road works across the city prior to and during the SADC Summit, resulting in good road transformation in the capital.

Mashonaland East has again outperformed, receiving 73% of their allotment of ZWG26.97 million. Marondera Municipality, Marondera Rural, and Chikomba RDC put the province on top, with 98% updates from the municipality and 89% from both rural district councils.

During the period under review, Bulawayo Province used 71% of its budget in year-to-date reporting, accounting for a considerable number of finished and continuing projects in the province.

ZINARA added that most road authorities have executed their budgets well, which can be attributed to ZINARA’s improved investment in road authority capacity building. However, the Authority expressed concern that there are still gaps in budget utilisation, with some road authorities trending below 20%. ” Support efforts are being rendered as ZINARA’S technical department works with counterparts in road authorities to close these gaps.”

At the national level, 33 773 km of road have been completed in 568 different projects during the construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation phases. “This trajectory is very encouraging and ZINARA projects that as further funds are accessed in the fourth quarter, projects will be significantly accelerated to ensure a strong finish to the year.”Going forward, ZINARA stated that fuel disbursements have been successfully administered, and work is underway to ease the acquisition and handover of earthmoving machinery to respective Road Authorities.