Zimbabwe will upgrade its main airport at a cost of $153
million in an effort to attract more visitors, state media reported on
Thursday, as authorities renamed the airport in honour of 93-year-old President
Robert Mugabe.
Harare International Airport will from Thursday be known as
Robert Mugabe International Airport and is expected to undergo an upgrade so
that it can handle 6.5 million passengers a year, more than double its current
capacity.
State-owned Herald newspaper reported that China Export and
Import Bank will provide a $153 million loan that will, among other things, be
used to expand the runway to allow multiple planes to land at the same time.
Accepting the honour, Mugabe said renaming the airport was
“a great gesture” to him and his family.
In the last few months, Mugabe’s vocal ruling ZANU-PF youth
wing has been pushing the government to honour Mugabe by giving public
institutions his name.
The government has said from next year the veteran ruler’s
Feb. 21 birthday will be known as Robert Mugabe National Youth Day, a public
holiday.
On Aug 9. the cash-strapped government announced plans to
build a $1 billion university named after Mugabe, a move that was cricitised by
the opposition as a waste of resources.
Mugabe is the only leader that Zimbabwe has known since
independence from Britain in 1980 and despite his advanced age, he remains the
most influential political figure in the country.
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