(Yicai Global) July 25 -- A Chinese state-owned enterprise has started construction for the expansion of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International, the largest airport in Zimbabwe.

China Jiangsu International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group started work on July 23 to more than double the port's annual passenger capacity to six million, state-owned Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. The airport is based in Zimbabwe's capital Harare and its latest renovation was called for by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The airport will be expanded and modernized to handle more passengers so Harare can become a major aviation hub in southern Central Africa and boost socio-economic development in Zimbabwe, Chinese ambassador Huang Ping said. China has been playing a much larger role in Africa since President Xi Jinping unveiled the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, a grand plan for infrastructure and trade routes linking rails, roads, pipes and waters across most of the world's continents.

Robert Gabriel Mugabe International was known as Harare International until November 2017, when it was named after the former president who stepped down that month after nearly 30 years at the helm. It was built in the city's southern suburbs in 1956 and despite multiple renovations, the airport's tired facilities and low capacity prevent it from convincing airlines to open new routes.

Construction is set to last 36 months and cost about USD153 million, with the facelift including a 3,000 square meter VIP terminal, a new 35,000 square meter international building and over 20,000 square meters of aprons, and parking lots, the contractor said. It will also upgrade communication, navigation, lighting and air traffic control systems.

Editor: James Boynton