A smart city deep in a rural area looks unthinkable to some, yet alone if that place is in Chivi district, far away from other well established areas.
Those who think this is difficult to implement base their arguments on the fact that rural areas are already under developed with less services and amenities.
But what they forget is that the coming in of a smart city in such an area means that services and the necessary amenities will follow this splendid development and within a short time the story of the area will change.
Read more: ZW: Masvingo: Chivi District: Smart city deep in a rural area, why not?
I told Mr (Shaji Ul) Mulk that my desire is to build a smart city like Dubai here. He agreed to build a smart city better than “Dubai,” President Emmerson Mnangagwa told guests on Wednesday during the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Cyber-City development in Mt Hampden.
The US$500 million project is being spearheaded by Dubai-based billionaire investor, Shaji Ul Mulk.
The Government intends to use real estate investment trust (REITs) or special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to finance development of Smart Cities, which the authorities believe may go a long way in uplifting citizens of peri-urban towns and drive progress towards Vision 2030.
The Government has spent billions of dollars on various key public infrastructure projects, including roads, airports, dams, schools and health facilities across the country, which are key enablers to the achievement of targets set under Vision 2030 by which Zimbabwe should be an upper middle income economy.
Another day, yet another developmental milestone in the short, but development hyperactivity life of the New Dispensation.
At this rate, very soon we will start losing count or get tired of counting because of the fast rate at which developmental programmes are being initiated.
In fact, the Second Republic has brought a new culture and new worldview to development in Zimbabwe, making the concept a part of the daily lives of the people.
Read more: ZW: The significance of Zim Cyber City in development
Zvishavane town council has constructed a block of flats that can accommodate six families in Mandava suburb – as the town embraces the smart city concept.
The smart city concept will result in the destruction of the old and dilapidated cluster houses known as Majarada and replace them with garden flats.