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Investment Amount: US$1.05 billion.
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Location: Robert Gabriel Mugabe (RGM) International Airport, Harare.
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Project Nature: Development of a “Smart City” cargo village and a secondary runway.
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Regulatory Status: Environmental and primary regulatory approvals secured; groundbreaking set for Q1 2026.
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Economic Impact: 3,000 direct jobs and up to 10,000 indirect opportunities expected.
Transvaal Africa, a prominent transport and logistics firm, has announced a landmark US$1.05 billion investment to develop a state-of-the-art cargo village at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. The project, implemented as a public-private partnership with the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ), aims to consolidate fragmented cargo operations into a single, efficient “smart city” hub. The facility will be designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), offering tax incentives and streamlined customs processes to attract global trade.
Central to the development is a comprehensive cold chain infrastructure designed to support Zimbabwe’s growing horticultural and agricultural exports. By providing climate-controlled grading, sorting, and packaging facilities, the project seeks to eliminate waste and integrate local farmers into the global value chain. Transvaal CEO Engineer Patson Moyo emphasized that the project follows international trends seen in aviation hubs like Dubai and Ethiopia, positioning landlocked Zimbabwe as a critical regional transit point.
The expansion includes the construction of a secondary runway, which will serve the cargo terminal and provide critical redundancy for the airport’s operations. ACZ CEO Tawanda Gusha noted that the development is expected to increase the airport’s cargo capacity by up to five times. In line with national development goals, 40% of the construction work is reserved for local contractors, ensuring that the massive infrastructure spend benefits the domestic economy.
Timeline
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December 22, 2025: Project details and investment figures officially announced.
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Q4 2025: Final local government permits and planning stages finalized.
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Q1 2026: Scheduled groundbreaking and commencement of phase one (runway construction).
Key Players
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Engineer Patson Moyo: CEO of Transvaal Africa.
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Tawanda Gusha: CEO of Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ).
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Transvaal Africa: Primary private investor and logistics partner.
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Airports Company of Zimbabwe: State partner overseeing aviation infrastructure.
