Chirundu is the pinch point on the North-South Corridor where road freight from the Copperbelt queues, and financial close moves the upgrade from agreement into construction, with contractors on site.
For rail, the corridor question stays open alongside it: the planned Kafue to Lion's Den railway would carry the same traffic on a different mode, and the border's road capacity is what that project is measured against.
- Zimbabwe's Chirundu Border Post Upgrade and Modernisation Project has reached financial close.
- The project is a public-private partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe and the Chirundu Border Consortium.
- Standard Bank of South Africa acted as lead debt arranger and senior lender, with Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe also participating.
- Strategic Partners Group and SAFAGA International provided equity and technical support.
- EPC contractors have been mobilised, a concrete batching plant is operational and construction machinery has arrived at the border.
- Truck traffic through Chirundu has risen from an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 a year five years ago to more than 67,000, according to Zambia's Ministry of Information and Media.
Zimbabwe's Chirundu Border Post Upgrade and Modernisation Project has reached financial close, unlocking funding for the construction, operation and maintenance of upgraded facilities at the Zimbabwe-Zambia border.
The project is being implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP) between the Government of Zimbabwe and the Chirundu Border Consortium (CBC).
The upgrade is intended to address transit delays, introduce automated systems and provide modern infrastructure for commercial cargo and passenger vehicles using the North-South Corridor.
Standard Bank of South Africa acted as lead debt arranger and senior lender, while Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe also participated as a financier.
George Kotsovos, Standard Bank's Executive for Energy and Infrastructure Finance, said the financing demonstrated confidence in the project's regulatory framework and long-term viability.
Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe chief executive Solomon Nyanhongo said the project could provide a model for mobilising private capital for public infrastructure projects across Africa.
Strategic Partners Group (SPG) and SAFAGA International provided equity and technical support. SPG founder and group chief executive Mzolisi Diliza said the modernisation was aligned with broader regional trade objectives.
Zimbabwe's Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Felix Mhona, said the project formed part of the country's plans to strengthen its position as a transport and logistics hub within the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Following the completion of the financial agreements, Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors have been mobilised on site.
A concrete batching plant is operational, while initial construction machinery has arrived at the border, indicating that physical construction work has started.
The Chirundu border crossing is located along the North-South Corridor, a major regional trade route linking countries in Southern and Central Africa.
Statistics from Zambia's Ministry of Information and Media show that truck traffic through the Chirundu border has increased from an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 trucks annually five years ago to more than 67,000 as of April, driven by copper and maize exports.
The modernisation is expected to improve trade facilitation, regional connectivity and the efficiency of the North-South Corridor.
Other transport infrastructure projects between Zambia and Zimbabwe include a planned US$2.2 billion railway linking Kafue District in Zambia to Lion's Den in Zimbabwe.
The railway project is expected to reduce transit distances from the port of Beira in Mozambique by up to 800km. It is also expected to provide a route that is 1,000km shorter than routes to South African ports and 500km shorter than the route to the port of Dar es Salaam.
