The idea of Harare becoming a world-class metropolis by 2025 has been bandied about for almost ten years, and the president himself is advocating for an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.

Panashe Makufa

Has this been seriously eye-marked by the city fathers, their overseers (the Ministry of Local Government), and the Presidium?

Because it is the nation’s capital, has a larger population, and more businesses, and is the main hub of commerce, Harare is expected to be setting the example for other cities in terms of how to develop into contemporary cities.

The city council needs to take charge and guarantee that there is enough potable water.

When the repair projects are ultimately completed, if they are not routine, they will merely improve the city’s water supply, not guarantee enough water for all residents.

It appears that Zinwa is now profiting significantly from locals who are drilling boreholes after losing faith in the city’s water department.

We will be wrapping up 2022 in less than 4 months, thus this designation as a world-class city should occur within the next three years.

In order to do this by 2025, the city fathers will have to pull off a miraculously exceptional ruse.

But how does a metropolis of this kind appear?

In short, a world-class city is associated with high standards of living, high levels of service provision efficiency, contemporary high-rise buildings, and affordable and dependable transportation options, in addition to other fundamentals, with the exception of the fact that an impressive city status is a matter of perception. It is safe, appealing, and useful.

A world-class city makes use of these traits to draw in capital and participate in the global economy.

Such a city makes an attempt to develop long-lasting yet inexpensive housing and recognizes the value of the informal sector to local governments rather than trying to hide or drive out the poor.

How does the City of Harare fare in light of this? Can that extraordinary achievement be completed in just three years?

We just took a tour of the Chinese-built new parliament building. Even while it is spectacular, it cannot be the only thing that Harare can be proud of or that can elevate the city to a global level.

As a local, I see sidewalks crowded with vendors and what were once large department shops divided into sections to make room for SME dealers who charge exorbitant prices for the same imported goods.

The capital city needs to be modernized quickly, and this will take a lot of labor.