Tinashe Makichi
Zimbabwe Multi-Donor Trust Fund, ZimFund is looking at concluding its projects this year after receiving funding to the tune of $145 million that will go towards restoration of basic energy and water infrastructure in the most affected areas of the country.
The fund is a collaboration of seven donor countries that partnered with Zimbabwe and entrusted the African Development Bank to administer the Fund. The donor countries are Australia, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The first phase of ZimFund has since been completed while the second phase is earmarked for completion towards the end of this year.
ZimFund was born as an emergency response to the humanitarian crisis which faced the country in 2008/2009 and was designed to assist the country to restore and rehabilitate basic water and sanitation infrastructure in the worst affected areas.
“The projects, categorized in Phase One and Two have been, to date, financed by the contributing donors to the tune of about $145 million. The first Phase was completed in 2015. The second phase is underway and expected to be completed later this year (water project) and 2019 (power project).
“The focus now is on implementation of the second phase where Harare is a beneficiary. We expect all works to be completed by year end,” said ZimFund country manager, Emmanuel Nzabanita.
Following wide consultations among stakeholders, two strongly intertwined projects in water and sanitation and energy were developed and approved, namely, the Urgent Water Supply and Sanitation Rehabilitation Project and the Emergency Power Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project.
Under UWSSRP II, approximately 1,9 million people in Harare, Chitungwiza, Ruwa and Redcliff will benefit from clean water and improved health and hygiene standards through interventions which will cover the procurement and installation of pipes, pumps and fittings.
Complementing the water projects are power projects. EPIRP II will replace Bulk Supply Substation Transformers in Kwekwe and Masvingo.
When concluded by 2019, it will benefit more than 5 million people in Kwekwe, Masvingo and Hwange with improved availability and reliability of electricity, reduced load shedding and stable water supplies. We are indeed truly honored to be associated with ZimFund as we reckon the fruits of the intervention.
Since its inception, ZimFund has evolved from being viewed as a purely humanitarian operation to being a developmental platform and a vehicle for investment in basic infrastructure. Its implementation has seen collaboration between the Government, donors, civic society, business as well as building a shared vision and common goals.
