Harare mayor Mafume receives electric car from CMED

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The Central Mechanical Engineering Department (CMED) yesterday donated an electric car to Harare City Council mayor Jacob Mafume as a sign of good faith, as the City of Harare is exploring a partnership with the department to improve service delivery and achieve a smart city.

Receiving the vehicle, Mafume said all taxis in Harare Central Business District will be electric in the future so as to reduce fuel bill and reduce pollution.

Zimbabwe is developing a National Electric Mobility Policy, a framework towards the adoption, use and disposal of electric vehicles in the country as part of its efforts to mitigate climate change, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said recently.

The minister said this while addressing delegates who were attending the 86th Session of the United Nations (UN) Inland Transport Committee (ITC) under the subject, “Accelerating Climate Change Mitigation in Inland Transport: Reaping Synergies with Urban Development, Environment and Energy Policies.”

Minister Mhona said they have put across various projects that include the adoption and incorporation of energy-efficient projects in the transport sector policies, capacitation of research and development towards new infrastructure technologies, and adoption of energy-efficient vehicular technologies.

He said the government, through its state-owned enterprise, CMED has accelerated a programme for the purchase and deployment of electrical vehicles.

“It is an honour to contribute to this panel discussion on the topic: “Accelerating climate change mitigation in Inland Transport: Reaping synergies with urban development, environment and energy policies.” As I contribute Zimbabwe’s perspective to this discussion, let me acknowledge the exceptional leadership of the ITC in steering its work.

“I wish to reiterate that Zimbabwe is committed to enhancing cooperation under the United Nations System, and to the adoption of international good practices and standards on all matters under the purview of the ITC.

“Cooperation at both the bilateral and multilateral levels in the context of engagement and re-engagement lies at the heart of Zimbabwe’s foreign policy,” he said.

Zwnews