Zimbabwe secures funding for over $65 million Chirundu border upgrade to ease delays on vital copperbelt trade route

Business Insider Africa

Zimbabwe has secured financing for the modernisation of the Chirundu border post with Zambia, paving the way for construction to begin at one of the key trade gateways linking the central African Copperbelt to ports in southern Africa.

The project has reached financial close under a public-private partnership involving the Chirundu Border Consortium, with major construction works expected to begin in October. The upgrade is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

The Chirundu One Stop Border Post (OSBP) was launched in December 2009 under a bilateral agreement between Zimbabwe and Zambia, providing a key route for goods moving between the Copperbelt and ports in South Africa and Mozambique.

The border handles copper, cobalt, fuel, mining equipment, fertiliser, agricultural products and other goods moving through the region.

However, congestion and outdated infrastructure have continued to create delays for freight operators. Zambia’s border development strategy identifies Chirundu as one of the country’s priority border posts for upgrading under a PPP model, according to Reuters.

Private investors to operate upgraded border

The modernisation will replace ageing infrastructure and introduce improved technology and operational systems designed to speed up cargo processing and reduce congestion.

Zimbabwe’s government has previously put the estimated cost of the project at $66.8 million. Under the PPP arrangement, private investors will finance, develop and operate the upgraded facility under a long-term concession.

Safaga International, which led the $300 million modernisation of Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge border with South Africa, is leading the Chirundu project. Beitbridge is Southern Africa’s busiest land border, connecting Musina in South Africa to Beitbridge in Zimbabwe across the Limpopo River.

The project is part of Zimbabwe’s broader effort to modernise its transport infrastructure and strengthen its position as a regional trade and logistics hub. For Zambia and Zimbabwe, a more efficient Chirundu crossing could also help reduce the cost and delays associated with moving critical minerals and other goods along one of southern Africa’s busiest trade corridors.