The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, led by Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, engaged in high-level discussions with the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) in Beijing on Tuesday. These deliberations underscore the Government of Zimbabwe’s unwavering commitment to accelerating the development of the Mt Hampden New City and fostering strategic infrastructure partnerships.
This crucial engagement aligns with the Government’s overarching objective to transform Mt Hampden into a modern urban and economic nucleus. This transformation is envisioned to bolster industrialisation, innovation, and investment, thereby contributing significantly to the attainment of Vision 2030.
The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion confirmed that discussions primarily focused on strengthening technical and financial cooperation for this ambitious undertaking. The Mt Hampden New City project is poised to become a flagship development within Zimbabwe’s long-term modernisation agenda.
“Discussions with the CSCEC leadership, including Chairman Wang Wei and President Chen Lie, centered on the potential for deeper technical and financial collaboration for the planned New City situated outside Harare. This development is strategically designed to incorporate data centers to support Artificial Intelligence initiatives and to function as a pivotal economic zone,” stated the Ministry. “The project, currently in its nascent stages with preliminary enabling works already concluded, is conceptualized as a premier urban development under Zimbabwe’s extensive modernisation drive.”
The Mt Hampden New City is being meticulously developed as a contemporary smart city, anchored by the recently completed Parliament Building and other critical Government infrastructure. Authorities envision this city as a key economic growth node, designed to accommodate commercial, residential, institutional, and technology-driven developments, thereby alleviating pressure on the capital city, Harare.
A significant aspect of the Beijing engagement was CSCEC’s comprehensive presentation of its globally recognized new city development models. These models have been successfully implemented in various nations, showcasing the corporation’s extensive capabilities.
“A central feature of the engagement was CSCEC’s presentation of its internationally implemented new city development models, showcasing its end-to-end delivery capacity from conceptual design and planning to financing, construction and full infrastructure rollout,” the Ministry elaborated. “Notable examples highlighted included Xiong’an New Area, New Administrative Capital, and major developments in Indonesia, all cited as large-scale modern urban developments where CSCEC has played a leading role.” These examples provided the Zimbabwean delegation with invaluable insights into the integrated planning, financing, and infrastructure delivery models essential for executing large-scale urban developments.
During the visit, the Zimbabwean delegation undertook a tour of CSCEC’s exhibition hall, where they observed a diverse portfolio of completed and ongoing projects executed by the corporation across China and international markets. This exhibition underscored CSCEC’s profound engineering expertise, advanced smart city technologies, and integrated infrastructure development systems—all deemed critical for the successful realization of the Mt Hampden New City.
The Ministry reported that CSCEC expressed keen interest in actively participating in Zimbabwe’s urban transformation programme. The corporation indicated its readiness to provide substantial support for the project through both technical expertise and financial collaboration.
“CSCEC officials expressed interest in supporting Zimbabwe’s New City project, indicating readiness to deploy technical expertise, advanced construction technologies, financing models and project execution capacity,” the Ministry affirmed. “However, they emphasized that the responsibility for overall planning and strategic direction remains with the Government of Zimbabwe, with CSCEC positioned as an implementation and technical partner.”
These discussions occur as Zimbabwe intensifies its focus on infrastructure development, recognizing it as a fundamental enabler of economic growth, industrialisation, and investment attraction. The Ministry further noted that this engagement is in direct alignment with the objectives of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), particularly its infrastructure development pillar, which prioritizes the establishment of modern urban centers, industrial growth corridors, and investment-driven economic transformation.
The meeting also afforded Professor Ncube the opportunity to present Zimbabwe’s improving economic fundamentals and promising investment prospects to one of the world’s foremost construction and engineering companies.
“The Honourable Minister also highlighted Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic stability, presenting it as a key foundation for attracting long-term infrastructure partnerships and sustaining large-scale developments such as the Mt Hampden New City,” concluded the Ministry.
