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Denmark avails $20 million for Zimfund projects

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THE government of the Royal Kingdom of Denmark has availed $20 million to fund water, sanitation and power projects through Zimfund.

THE government of the Royal Kingdom of Denmark has availed $20 million to fund water, sanitation and power projects through the Zimbabwe Multi-donor Trust Fund (Zimfund).

Victoria Mtomba

Speaking at the signing ceremony yesterday, the resident representative of the African Development Bank in Zimbabwe Mateus Magala said Denmark was now the largest contributor to the fund which is administered by African Development Bank on behalf of Denmark, Australia, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and United Kingdom.

“It brings the resources needed to implement the projects to a satisfactory level. The size of the resources made available by a single country is an honest testimony of the relevance and good performance of the fund,” Magala said.

Magala said some of the projects under the fund were now in full implementation mode.

He said the money contributed by Denmark had made the fund total endowment stand at $145 million close to the total $160 million required for the fund.

Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said the government appreciated the boost that Denmark government had made to the fund.

“For me, what is significant is not the $20 million which is most welcome, but that Denmark and Zimbabwe have found each other to restore our political and economic relations prior to  the land reform programme. That, to me, is the most significant event today,” he said.

The head of mission at the Royal Danish Embassy office in Harare, the Charge d’ Affaires  Erik Brøgger Rasmussen said infrastructure development was important because it was about people’s lives.

Rasmussen said the Danish government left the country during the land reform and they now back in the country to work with the government.

“The direction is evident we are working towards normalisation although there is still work to be done,” Rasmussen Magala said the upon completion 2,5 million in Harare, Chitungwiza, Mutare, Masvingo,Chegutu, Kwekwe, Ruwa and Redcliff could benefit from clean water and improved health and hygiene standards.

The fund was set up in 2010 and a total of $40 million was donated by the seven countries.

The countries has so far availed $125 million for the rehabilitation of infrastructure projects in water and sanitation and the energy sectors.

Meanwhile, the government has adopted a framework for the aid co-ordination architecture to realign it with the objectives of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation.

Chinamasa said he would head the Cabinet committee which includes his ministry, Local Government, Public Service, Higher and Tertiary Education, Primary and Secondary Education, Defence, Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Media and Information, Small, Medium-Scale  Enterprises, Health and Child Care, Environment Water and Climate and Agriculture and Mechanisation.

He said the committee would enhance accountability in the  utilisation of funds as well as minimise duplication, and to ensure that all mobilised funds would be channelled through the vote of credit.