On the eve of the renaming of Harare International Airport to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry, announced that an upgrade of the airport will commence following the conclusion of negotiations of a $153 loan facility from China. The loan facility will be availed by China EximBank.
Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo, said the Chinese Government has since given the go ahead for Zimbabwe to start accessing the money. Dr Gumbo said the two governments are just waiting to sign the official funding agreement.
“We are now waiting for the agreement to be signed between Government of Zimbabwe and China. From our part it’s a done deal and the Chinese Government has given us the go ahead to get the money and start the construction,” said Gumbo.
The Harare International Airport, with a passenger capacity of 2,5 million per year, was last expanded and commissioned in 2001.
Meanwhile, Gumbo has also dismissed social media reports claiming that a new airline owned by the Mugabe family will also be launched on the same day as the name changing ceremony for the airport.
According to Gumbo the new airline is owned by “enterprising private investors” and will service routes abandoned by Air Zimbabwe.