Mashonaland West’s drive to improve water service delivery has received a significant uplift following strong interest from Indian investor, LifeFirst Concepts and Technologies, which has expressed readiness to partner with local councils to expand access to clean, safe and reliable water. The company’s engagement comes at a crucial time when many communities across the province continue to experience severe water shortages due to ageing infrastructure, rising demand, and high operational costs.
LifeFirst’s executive team has spent several months in Zimbabwe exploring investment prospects, with their attention drawn to Mashonaland West after the successful Provincial Investment Conference held in Kariba earlier this year. Motivated by the opportunities presented, the company held a high-level meeting in Chinhoyi on Wednesday with representatives from all 14 local authorities in the province.
Addressing council executives yesterday, Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Marian Chombo, encouraged continued collaboration among stakeholders to meet national development targets.
“Vision 2030 will become a reality through cooperation. The President wants targets met by 2028, and we must work even harder using the whole-of-government approach,” she said.
LifeFirst Concepts and Technologies Chief Executive Officer, Mr Sagar Shah, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to delivering modern, efficient and sustainable water solutions.
“As LifeFirst Concepts and Technologies Pvt Ltd, we specialise in water and wastewater treatment, sanitation and hydration monitoring technologies. We are keen to partner with councils to ensure residents have clean and continuous water supplies,” he said.
Central to the company’s investment plan is the introduction of decentralised water augmentation systems designed to reduce the cost of water delivery while improving efficiency and reliability. These systems will allow local authorities to produce and distribute water closer to communities, cutting down pumping distances and operational expenses.
The firm is also establishing a materials manufacturing plant in Harare, expected to be operational by January next year. This facility will produce water treatment materials locally, reducing Zimbabwe’s import bill and creating new employment opportunities.
“Our plant will start producing materials by January next year, reducing the import bill while creating jobs,” said the company’s chairperson, Mr Albert Mnangagwa.
Local authorities have welcomed the partnership with optimism, noting its potential to ease long-standing service delivery challenges.
Mashonaland West Provincial chairperson of the Association of Rural District Councils, Mr Misheck Nyarubero, said LifeFirst’s decentralised systems could significantly lower high pumping and reticulation costs while enhancing supply reliability.
“This partnership gives us renewed confidence that, working together, we can finally address the long-standing water service delivery gaps that have affected residents for years,” he said.
Acting Chinhoyi Town Clerk, Engineer Simon Marara, highlighted the urgency of the intervention, revealing that the town currently supplies only 22 million mega-litres daily against a demand of 64 million.
“We see this as a development which will help us address water challenges,” he said.
With seven rural district councils and rapidly growing Growth Points transitioning into urban centres, Mashonaland West’s demand for water infrastructure continues to rise. The anticipated partnership with LifeFirst Concepts and Technologies therefore marks a promising step toward modernising water systems, enhancing service delivery and supporting the province’s ongoing socio-economic transformation.
