The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) has reported a significant improvement in budget utilisation by road authorities, following the disbursement of ZWG 4.7 billion in 2024.
This marks a notable step forward in the countryโs efforts to enhance road maintenance and infrastructure development.
The improved efficiency has been credited to strengthened revenue assurance mechanisms and an expanded scope of special public interest projects that require increased funding. According to a schedule of actual disbursements published by Zinara, 63 out of 94 road authorities accessed their full disbursement allocationsโa record high in Zinaraโs history. This is a substantial increase from 2023, when only slightly over 20 road authorities accessed their full budgets.
Notably, provinces such as Manicaland and Mashonaland East saw all their road authorities accessing their allocated budgets, reflecting a significant improvement in both project implementation and financial management. Matabeleland South province recorded the highest in the southern region at 94% budget utilisation as all the urban councils in the province accessed all their budgets. Bulawayo Metropolitan Province closed at 71% while Matabeleland North average was at 88%.
This progress is partly attributed to specialised training provided by Zinara to road authorities, focusing on project management and road funds management.
Zinaraโs Chief Executive Officer, Nkosinathi Ncube, highlighted the organisationโs commitment to transparency and accountability. โWe took a position as an organisation that we are a public entity and need to be accountable to the public. We are happy that the trainings we are conducting are bearing fruit, as evidenced by the increased budget utilisation by road authorities,โ said Ncube.
Ncube also emphasised Zinaraโs dedication to consistently availing funds for disbursements and urged road authorities to ensure contractors deliver quality work to optimise resource utilisation.
โOur plea to the road authorities is for them to make sure that contractors deliver quality work to ensure optimum utilisation of the resources we have,โ he added.
Some of the key projects undertaken in the year include part of the Bulawayo โ Nkayi road rehabilitation project, Nyanga-Ruwangwe resurfacing project, Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe 42km road rehabilitation, Golden Valley-Sanyati Road project and the greater Harare Roads projects among others.
Looking ahead, Zinara has earmarked ZWG 11.6 billion for road rehabilitation under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 (ERRP2) in 2025, a substantial increase from the previous yearโs allocation. Additionally, Zinara plans to provide two million litres of fuel to assist road authorities in overcoming operational challenges, further enhancing road rehabilitation efforts across the country.
This development signals a positive shift in Zimbabweโs road maintenance landscape, with increased funding and improved budget utilisation paving the way for more effective infrastructure development.
