Zura Southern Africa, an American company, is set to establish a US$160 million multi-model international trade hub for Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia.
The trade hub, which will be the first of its kind, is set to be constructed in Kanyemba, Zimbabwe, and is expected to boost business and trading relations amongst the three countries.
Kanyemba is a village in the district of Mashonaland Central in Zimbabwe that shares boundaries with Luangwa district in Zambia and Zumbo in Mozambique. It is in this same area that also three rivers from these countries meet, Mwanzamutanda, Luangwa and the mighty Zambezi River.
The government of Zimbabwe is in the process of transforming Kanyemba into a border town that will not only be the nerve centre of development in Mashonaland Central, but neighbouring Mozambique and Zambian villages.
It is in line with the Kanyemba town development that the government of Zimbabwe has agreed to let Zura Southern Africa establish a trade hub.
Zura Southern Africa founder, Darren Moore, said he was excited to be part of those who are set to develop Kanyemba into a town that will benefit not just one country, but the whole of Southern Africa.
He also added that the trade hub project was the first of its kind to be approved by the US government in three decades, and he was ready to start the process as soon as he was given the green light.
“This is the first formally accepted project by the US administration in nearly three decades. We are 100 percent private and we are self-funding. The project will create an international trade hub between Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia (ZIMOZA).
“We are keeping it simple. The project is scalable and self-sustainable with solar power and establishment of a vocational school that will provide us with skilled labour. We will bring our best practices here.
“We will create a customs system that will be used by the three countries to make it easy for trading. We are here to build, own and operate to world class standards. We will safeguard fees and taxes owed to government. We are here to make a transparent, well-structured, run and accounted logistics operations,” Moore said.
It is in this same area (Kanyemba) that Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique are also working towards the construction of a Y-link bridge that will create the shortest route linking up the three countries, and the bridge will also be used by heavy trucks across the Zambezi into Zambia and Mozambique.
The Y-link bridge will also provide an alternative to the north-south corridor initiative within the SADC region, and Zura Southern Africa said it will participate in the construction of a landing bay when the time comes.
“A permanent bridge is a solution in the future. However, I cannot underwrite a bridge at this time but in the future it is absolutely an option. A floating bridge is a high cost solution which will cost between US$2 and US$3 billion. We will participate in the expansion of the landing bay,” Moore added.
Source: The Southern Times
