Harare, Zimbabwe: Recently, the Robert Gabriel Mugabe (RGM) International Airport in Harare has gone through the completion of the upgrade project after which it looks stunning, super clean and modern with advanced amendments.
The Transport and Communications Minister of Mozambique – Mateus Magala, visited the airport to have a look at it, and after that, he said that the new look of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport is one of the most impressive infrastructure projects in the region at present.
The airport has recently undergone a US $153 million facelift and is in line with the country’s vision of attaining an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
On arriving in the country yesterday, Magala held bilateral meetings on cooperation in transport and transport infrastructure with his Zimbabwean counterpart, Felix Mhona, who is a Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister.
Minister Mhona and Senior Zimbabwean Government officials welcomed Magala, who joined the team of senior and technical officials from the Mozambique Ministry of Transport and Communications and took them to take a tour of the airport on Tuesday.
Following the tour, President Mnangagwa joined the Mozambican counterpart, President Filipe Nyusi and witnessed the commissioning of the rehabilitated US $200 million Beira-Machipanda railway line last November.
At the commissioning of the railway line in Manica, Mozambique – President Mnangagwa said that the rehabilitated 318 km railway line will reduce the transport cost and will also ease the congestion at Forbes Border Post in Mutare.
In an interview which was conducted on Jan 17, Minister Magala applauded Mhona for inviting him to Zimbabwe so that they could exchange notes on transport and transport infrastructure.
While appreciating Mhona, Minister Magala said, “I would like to thank my brother, Hon. Minister Mhona, for inviting me to come to Zimbabwe to sit together and advance agendas that the Heads of State have commenced and have directed us to implement.”
He added that they thought the best way to be stuck on the ground was to see things, and from there, they could have a sense of direction and a sense of purpose so that they could come up with positive outcomes.
“I would want to congratulate my brother, the people of Zimbabwe, the Government and President Mnangagwa for the wonderful facility (RGMIA). Let me dare to say in my humble spirit that it is one of the best in Southern Africa, so congratulations to the people of Zimbabwe, and this is a great school for all of us,” said Minister Magala.
Magala mentioned that dedication and focus matter and infrastructure also matters. It changes the lives of the people, and above all, it creates jobs and opportunities for young people.
“So this is my humble opinion again, a state-of-the-art facility which I believe the people of Zimbabwe, from the way I know them, humble and educated people, will know how to maintain. This will promote a destination for all of us,” mentioned Magala.
Minister Magala also mentioned that they were in Zimbabwe to have some serious discussions on how they were going to implement rail, road and aviation infrastructure projects.
Based on the guidance given by the President, people can integrate the two economies to make it a bigger market space where there will be a lot of opportunities for all. There, the movement of goods will be smooth and will not constrained by bureaucracy.
“We will not be constrained by nationalities. We are going to make decisions to advance this agenda,” he said.
Minister Mhona also said that it has strengthened the relations between the great leaders, President Mnangagwa and Nyusi.
He said that he is happy that they are here today to witness once again the very important infrastructure project that has been put up by the Second Republic and to thank the visionary leader Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
Minister Mhona added that he is glad that the two ministers are exploring and taking advantage of the infrastructure to enhance the corridor that is Beira Corridor, for which the technical team has been in place since Monday, Jan 15, 2024.
He mentioned that both the ministers will be visiting Forbes Border Post and the new airport site in Manicaland.