The Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has received 90 wagons worth 36million Chinese Yuan (USD5 million). And company Managing Director Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika says he expects the successful completion of all the 14th Protocol projects before the end of the year.
In a press release made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today by TAZAR Head of Public Relations Conrad Simuchile said the first set of wagons have
just successfully completed the maiden trip.
He said this is also the first leg of the mandatory 1,860 kilometres test run from Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri Mposhi and back to Dar es salaam .
He states that the initial test run involved the haulage of 1050 metric tonnes of fertilizer from Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri Mposhi.
“ The train arrived on Wednesday 1 June 2011 and another train with a set of about 35 wagons is due to depart Dar es Salaam on Friday 3 June 2011. This will be followed by return trips of trains fully laden with 1200mt of copper cathodes from Kapiri Mposhi to Dar es Salaam, “he said.
This part of the US $ 40 million loan that the Chinese government granted TAZARA, through the governments of Tanzania and Zambia under the 14th Protocol in December 2009.
And the company Managing Director Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika says he expects the successful completion of all the 14th Protocol projects before the end of the year.
Mr. Mbikusita-Lewanika further said he was happy that, under the same protocol, 36 technical staff members are all set to leave for China
during the month of June to attend a skills enhancement programme.
Earlier the railway company issued guidelines for the selection of trainee candidates, which provided for optimum representation of females and ensured that the trainee selection was based on an objective aptitude determined, conducted and evaluated by experts from China.
The guidelines were designed to ensure that a total of 40 candidates competed through the selection process that would eventually leave only 36 trainee candidates, with equal representation from each of the three targeted disciplines of civil, mechanical and telecommunications, which were all shared equally between Tanzanian and Zambian employees.
ZANIS
You People we do not need to borrow money all the time. Couldnt we have funded TAZARA with $40M from windfall tax collections currently estimated at $500M. In any case Tazara should be self financing though. Loans are not charity and have to be paid back at some point and trust me its us who will foot the bill not RB and his rich sons
:USD5m for the 90 Waons means that each wagon cost about USD56,000.00. These wagons are therefore of low quality and may not stand more than 2 years’ operational deployment.
If we really had a government with brains, our rail systems would have been earning us Forex and their passenger service winning us kudos in the tourism sector. But because we had a cotton head for a president, we have ruined everything that would have been of extreme value to the well-being of our country and our people.
@1 and 2 You’re so right! TAZARA should be self financing.
A SMART GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE CREATED JOBS BUILDING THE WAGONS THEMSELVES….WHAT COUNTRY GOT THE CONTRACT TO SUPPLY?………..WAS IT ADVERTISED OR SINGLE SOURCED?
ZAMBIANS DON’T BE FOOLED.
ZR workshops were quite well equiped until MMD of Chiluba, Sata & Co who didn’t know anything about development. They only knew selling & looting. Unfortunately we have to set up these workshops and industries again. We need to manufacture our own equipment, tools and spare parts in order to keep our people employed, improve skills and make progress in establishing a sustainable industrial backbone. We should be making our own rail wagons by now. Take railways seriously we have no choice, we are landlocked country.
Training the already trained employees won’t solve the problem but commitment from those in charge of making policies. How will the retrained individuals going to bring any changes if we can’t adequately fund TAZARA? There are no spare parts, fuel, salaries for employees etc as seen on BBC documentary called African Railway. We have competent Zambians running the railway abroad who are ready to assist resolve the problems facing TAZARA but eeeh the bureaucracy and lack of commitment defies belief.
Am sure these wagons are second hand and as slow as whats there already! Koma train pa zed is ridiculously slow geeez. baleta ifimawire fimbi.
Borrowing, atase.
Its seems alot of Zambian on this blog never see sense in anything….
I wonder what has happened to the quality of thinking… with Zambians
It’s in the interest of the Chinese! Â They can’t move copper out of Zambia quick enough, so what do they do? lend Banda’s government the cash and utilise the carriages. Clever chaps I just wish Banda was as shrewd. Mind you he has probably gained something out of it, He isn’t that stupid. Further more why is he borrowing? IMF and the international community have in the past written off massive debts, why get is he leading Zambia back into the red? I guess he’s 74 and embezzled enough it won’t be his problem……..
tazara are failing to meet rolling stock to transport Manganese which is piled up on the stretch from Serenje up to Lusiwasi.Most of these pay cash!What TAZARA needs is prudent management.Chipewo was running it very well until Dora had him fired.President Kikwete even mentioned recently that TAZARA management is mediocre!