Friday, March 29, 2024

Government secures $300m for road infrastructure development-RB

Share

President Rupiah Banda talks to Vice President George Kunda before he left for Angola at Lusaka International Airport yesterday.
President Rupiah Banda and Vice President George Kunda

President Rupiah Banda has disclosed that the African Development Bank of South Africa (ADB) has agreed to give the Zambian government a U$300 million loan for road infrastructure development.

President Banda said the negotiations between ADB and Government through the Ministry of Finance and National Planning have completed to accelerate the construction of some major roads across the country.

He said government will soon start working on the road network in the country.

President Banda said that roads to be worked on include those in Western, North-western, Central and Northern Provinces respectively.

Mr. Banda was speaking to Journalists upon arrival at the Lusaka International Airport from Mozambique where he had gone for a three-day state visit.

President Banda said that he and Vice President George Kunda will categorically monitor the road works to be embarked on.

“I and Vice President Kunda will inspect the road works so that no-one claims that they did the works,” Mr. Banda said.

Meanwhile, President Banda has described the just ended summit as successful because Zambia managed to seal a lot of agreements on key issues.

He said the region agreed to continue forging ahead to remove sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Mr. Banda, who assumed the Chairmanship of SADC explained that other Heads of State shall continue to lift the sanctions on Zimbabwe imposed by Western countries because the sanctions have affected the people in the region than the leaders themselves.

Mr. Banda said the region resolved to support President Robert Mugabe and hoped that unity shall prevail between the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and ZANU-PF in the quest to foster peace and stability in Zimbabwe.

And President Banda has said Malawian President Bingu Wa-Mtharika and Mozambican Armando Guebuza will attend the commissioning of the Chipata-Mchinji rail line next week.

He said the railway line is another major milestone in the development of infrastructure in the country.

Mr. Banda, accompanied by First Lady Thandiwe arrived at Lusaka International Airport at 15:30 hours local time.

He was received by Vice President George Kunda, Information Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha, Livestock and Fisheries Minister Bradford Machila and Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Professor Fashion Phiri, Secretary to the Cabinet Joshua Kanganja and Defense and service Chiefs among other senior government officials.

ZANIS

23 COMMENTS

  1. Ba President – if you spent even 1 full week in the office, Zambia would be moving in a different direction, i.e., where rule of law is respected. Hardly a week goes by and either you are attending a traditional ceremony or flying in/out of Lusaka. What time do you actually sit on your desk and do some work? There are alot of decisions that need your attention, so please just spend time on your desk and leave a legacy not “illegacy”.

  2. Loans, loans, loans – at the current cost of tarring a road in Zambia, that would only cover 300km. Not enough even to complete the Mutanda-Chavuma Road, let alone carter for Northern, Western, North Western and Luapula Provinces. Hope the loan is not meant for 2011 campaings after the “donors” suspended funding the road sector after the Auditor General revealed it was being used to siphon money to unathorised “projects” (e.g. by-elections), disguised as “over-commiting government”.

  3. We have copper and other minerals, surely why should we be getting back to indebtedness at hyper speed? In the name of leadership, you are borrowing unsustainably ba Bwezani. And Dr Musokotwane cannot even advise because we know technical leadership melts away like a chocolate bar when exposed to sunlight or intense heat, upon seeing “political leadership”. We, the educated have failed to act responsibly, ethically, and above all, prudently. We have let this country down.

  4. Ati emano, Ichi chi mudala. Amano ayabu UNIP. Loans loans and loans I bet you we have already hit $4 billion. This man does not think. Does he realise we have to pay back these loans with interest. Just yester year we were struggling to pay back $7 billion until it was forgiven. He is putting us straight back into it. Fellow Zambians do you realise this man actually failed to run Namboard? How do we honestly expect him to run Zambia, a country with all its complexities. Why have we continued to allow this i.d.i.o.t of a president to takes us for a ride.

  5. “I and Vice President Kunda will inspect the road works so that no-one claims that they did the works,” Mr. Banda said.

    PRESIDENT ROAD INSPECTOR AND HIS VICE DEPUTY.

  6. That money is meant for ma campaign bane,do not be decived ,kaili ku ministry of health chashupa,nanga why sibanasakile ndalama ezo kudala lelo chiwame,takuli

  7. Only a FOOL like RUPIAH BANDA will be rejoicing borrowing all the time. When are you going to seat and understand how you can make your own money. We don’t need borrowed money but rather make it from our own Internal resources. What is the problem with this I.DIOT of a PRESIDENT!

  8. For once, I feel roads in this country are extremely bad. Township roads are pathetic. If these guys were intelligent, the roads would clearly win them votes. Not the Chinese type of road that develop potholes within a week, but durable roads. These would be nice legacy for RB for which people would remember him for. I remember KK said something of this sort.

  9. good idea mr president, though i know the opposition will be against the idea……………. good roads = more votes.

  10. We don’t need to BORROW $300mm when we can earsily collect this from our Mines. This Monkey of a president does not have a slightest idea of running a Country. He knows he is DULL an I.DIOT and is hiding by running away from State House. In future we need to be truthful and stop paying these monkeys allowances, for staying away from Statehouse. RUPIAH is running away from Mwanawasa’s ghost, how on earth do you expect him to spend a night in Namwala. Why not plan to be there first thing in the morning. Check this b.astard, he is running away from State House and is becoming insane.

  11. #2, Multi-Millionare – I have the Auditor-Genrals Report on the Road Development Agency (RDA) and the Report of the Public Accounts COmmitte (PAC) and there is no where where the Reports talk about syphoning money to elections. We Zambians should have some discipline and develop respect for truth. The issue in those Reports is over-committing government beyond budgetary allocation and lax supervision of contractors.

  12. This too much mwebantu always hearing Loans , is that the only job you do when you every time you make a move? in zambia we have sources where we can get money from ..even south africa doesn’t have a factory ,only that they use imitwe..noti ukulomba lomba …..shame.

  13. #2 Over-committing government beyond budgetary allocations incurs heavy penalty payments to contractors because they are not paid on time. Lax supervision by RDA and Consulting firms means that government does not often get value for the money on the projects. But I know I am wasting my time the country has become adicted to propaganda.

  14. The Zambian government loves borrowing! Is it a trend? One wonders what it does with all the loans it gets. If i recollect, it is barely 2 months since Zambia got a US$1billion loan from China to invest in infrastructure. Mr President, there is too much abuse of funds in your government. While other governments in developed countries are tightening their budgets and cutting costs, there goes our country asking for more loans. This is very sad indeed. What is the Finance Minister and his advisors doing in the Ministry Of Finance? Let the minister of transport source for funds in a different way other than acquiring a loan which is another burden ordinary working Zambians will have to carry.

  15. #9 & 14, I am sure Mr Mukabe come 2011 you must be shamed that no one thinks it worthwhile to comment or even refer to your blog. Just a word of advice ba Mukabe, people are fed up of uncouth language. Please don’t make us throw up with your language.

  16. Well, if donors withhold their funding borrow. We cannot have our development held at ransom by these so called donors. Borrow, build roads and other infrastructure and we shall pay back from the fruits of the resultant development.

  17. Bakateka,when did u last visit hospitals of this country,you are busy flying from country A to B now its town to town busy using taxpayers ka.

  18. Kansanshi Mining owes ZCCM-ih $ 358 million while at the same time the benefit of kansanshi overtook $ 664.2 m in 2008 and $610.4 m in 2009 !

    it is the same with others foreign companies

    ZCCM-ih has no money but owes the govt $ 300million

    And Zambia is a beggar !!

    the govt owes IMF $ 333 million and was only able to pay back $ 1,9 million…

    and U$300 million loan for road infrastructure !!

    Why cannot the govt be able to recover its money through zccm-ih ??

    Connivance with foreign companies and bribes ??
    incompetence??

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading