Zimbabwe’s ambitious plan to build a smart city in Mount Hampden, near the capital Harare, has received a major boost from Bitumen World, a leading civil engineering and road construction company. Bitumen World has signed a contract to start civil works at the site of Zim Cyber City, a state-of-the-art, mixed-use development project that aims to offer a high-end lifestyle and a hub for innovation and technology.
Zim Cyber City is the first real estate investment in Zimbabwe channeled through the Zimbabwe Global Investments (ZGI) Special Economic Zone (SEZ) program, approved by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The project is bankrolled by Mulk International, a multinational conglomerate based in the UAE, which has diversified business interests in metal composites, healthcare, plastic industries, and cricket assets.
According to the Herald, Bitumen World will be developing roads, stormwater, sewer reticulation, and part of the water body for the project, which will be split into phases. The first phase has already commenced and should take four months to complete, while the entire civil works are expected to take eight to ten months. Bitumen World’s operations manager Chris Seager said the company was looking forward to providing a top-quality product to its client.
Zim Cyber City will feature 233 modern villa apartments, a world-class duty-free mall, cutting-edge office spaces, and a special window clearance for blockchain and digital assets licenses and bank accounts. The project will also include 24/7 advanced, built-in surveillance technology that is directly connected to local law enforcement authorities for maximum security of the residents.
The project was proposed to President Mnangagwa by Mulk International during his visit to the UAE at Expo 2020 Dubai. It was launched in July this year at a ground-breaking ceremony attended by the president and other dignitaries. The project is expected to create thousands of jobs and attract foreign direct investment into the country.
Zim Cyber City is not the only smart city project in Zimbabwe. The government is also working on the construction of a new parliament building and other ministry buildings in Mount Hampden, as well as the development of urban infrastructure, bulk earthworks, and high-end residential and commercial buildings. The government hopes that these projects will transform Zimbabwe into a modern and competitive economy that can achieve its Vision 2030 of becoming an upper-middle-income country.
Source: The Herald
