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Economic growth, through industrialisation is the main goal and it is something we work day and night to achieve. We’re in a province where infrastructure development will be a key economic driver. We need funding for all of that. – Limpopo premier, Phophi Ramathuba.

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Sizwe sama Yende

Limpopo Premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, has stated the province’s case to African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) for financing major infrastructural projects to boost economic growth.

Ramathuba led a delegation to the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 in Algiers, Algeria, this week.

She met Executive Vice-President of Afreximbank, Kanayo Awani, on the sidelines of the event to explore possible trade projects that the bank offers financing for.

Afreximbank is a bank for comprehensive and expanding range of trade finance programmes to finance and facilitate finance that will support and enable intra- and extra-African trade.

Ramathuba highlighted the need to support the cargo terminal at Polokwane Gateway Airport, the proposed high speed rail from Limpopo to Gauteng and minerals beneficiation.

Teams from both Afreximbank and Limpopo government will meet soon  to put details on those projects to be considered for funding.

Ramathuba said the visit was fruitful.

“Many people think it was wasteful expenditure. Truly speaking, the three main issues that we wanted to achieve were to build new connections for the people of Limpopo and the business sector and make sure that the world knows about Limpopo province,” she said.

“Economic growth, through industrialisation is the main goal and it is something we work day and night to achieve. We’re in a province where infrastructure development will be a key economic driver. We need funding for all of that,” Ramathuba added.

Ramathuba said that she shared all the province’s projects with Awani to explore which one could be funded.

These projects also include the green energy battery-manufacturing plant, special economic development zones in Musina and Burgersfort and agriculture.

Limpopo’s small and emerging businesses that included film-makers, fashion designers and farmers tagged along Ramathuba to the expedition.

The speed train is a partnership between Limpopo and Gauteng province. It is envisaged to connect the 500km distance between Polokwane and Pretoria and, in future, may expand to Louis Trichardt and Musina.

Once completed, the project will reduce travel time between the two provinces. The current five-to-six-hour road journey from Pretoria to Polokwane would shrink to about 90 minutes. The train is expected to travel at an average speed of approximately 177 km/h between Pretoria and Polokwane, and exceed 200 km/h on specific segments. 

The route will include multiple stops along its path, in Hammanskraal, Bela-Bela, and Mokopane.

The train is expected to travel at an average speed of approximately 177 km/h between Pretoria and Polokwane, and exceed 200 km/h on specific segments.