ZAMBIA and Japan have signed two important documents relating to the financing of the construction of the Kazungula bridge project across the Zambezi River.
Foreign Affairs Minister Given Lubinda and his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba signed on behalf of the two governments in Tokyo, Japan, today.
The signing ceremony of the exchange of notes and record of discussions on the Kazungula bridge construction project took place at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Tokyo.
ZANIS reports that Mr. Lubinda said Zambia wants to obtain a loan amounting to US$ 41.7 from the Japanese International Development Corporation (JICA).
The total cost of the bridge project is estimated at US$248 million and that Zambia will get additional funds from the African Development Bank while the government of Botswana will also contribute towards the project.
Mr. Lubinda said Zambia is excited that the project is finally coming to fruition and hoped that the loan agreement will be finalized soon.
He said construction of the bridge at Kazungula will bring about socio-economic benefits to the whole COMESA region.
President Sata is tomorrow expected to meet the JICA president in Tokyo.
ZANIS
let talk pf is workingÂ
INDEED THE BRIDGE HAS TO BE BUILT..
BUT REMEMBER DON’T TEMPER WITH THIS HUGE SUMS OF MONEY OTHERWISE ACC WILL INVITE YOU SOON THAN LATER…
just keep working hard guys – its the best way of silencing your critics
This is what we want…..Sata associates himself with Great pipo and his trips are always fruitful except for that india one….. PF is heading the right direction…Viava pabwato
LOANS, LOANS, LOANS, LOANS.
$41.7 what? Potatoes?
how is it that a country that is just coming out of a devastating earthquake is still able to lend, how? Some countries are just blessed mwe
Nzelu and focused! They have already and an earthquake cannot take them back completely, it is a set back!Â
its because of good leadership i guess plus they dont steal and bury public funds at private properties..
No my bro,they work genuinely hard while we go into govt.to loot at the pretext of serving the pipo!
Good move. I can see MCS surpassing LPM’s Developmental Progress. Cannot wait for Budget this Friday
Keep dreaming!
you will surprised the budget will be full of nonsense just like the presidential speech. tulolela fye!!!
what will ZWD write? lets wait and see
nkongole zapaka mwe!!!!
Why such short memories kanshi!!! This bridge has been in the pipeline even before the Mwanawasa days. Zimbabwe was the main hitch because they felt the bridge was passing over part of their teritory and wanted further consultation. The Japanese committed themselves to assisting financially long ago.
Ba PF kaponyas dont read. that is their problem. They think such things are negotiated in a matter of months. This bridge was identified more than 20 years ago as one of SADC arteries, just like the Chirundu, Beit Bridge (between RSA and Zimbabwe), the trans-kalahari highway from Maputo (Mozambique) to Walvis Bay (Namibia); the Mwanawasa Bridge across the Zambesi into Caprivi Strip; One-stop border post into DRC; the road being built across barotseland into Angola; the road from Harare to Blantrye in Malawi; the road from malawi to Dar es salaam…
My only concern is that most of the money is from loans how about the money from taxes such as the mining taxes where is it going. It looks like our money doesn’t seem to do anything but that which is obtained elsewhere. The move of the bridge is good, this could be good credit if the money is managed well. But we dont see some of these monies we need some reporting on where that money goes…Even after this bridge is made we need to know how much money the country will be making from the bridge and how much will be used to be paying back…
ALL these things MMD was able to do. They built the Mwanawasa bridge, they built the Katima Mulilo bridge and were already building the 35km Mongu Kalabo bridge. The Kazungula bridge design was already done and it is credit to Pf that they are following up. However, the big one is whether they can create the 3million jobs that were promised and whether they can maintain Zambia as a breadbasket for the region with bumper harvests as was the case with MMD. Just the first year grain production has declined and confusion still continues on agricultural policy.
Nevers Mumba what do you have to say about this?
Am sure you have small brains, a big and thick skull. you want me to cerebrate the borrowing? a kaloba for that matter. why cant they use the resources which can be generated within i.e reviewing the current tax regime in the mines?
But PF haqs said they have $2 Billion Dollars in the Bank as reserves. why not use this money to construct the bridge with ZIM and Botswana adding some to lessen the burden on Zambia? why get into a loan when you have ready money?????? Economists educate ME.
@Zedman. You are dealing with people who have very short memories. They don’t know that this bridge would have been completed by now had it not been for the stubborn Zimbabweans. Mugabe’s govt put a stop to the bridge in 2008 when they complained that it was going to “touch” Zimbabwean territory. The situation was saved by Namibia that agreed that the bridge can be located further westwards close to its Sedudu island. The Japanese had to do another feasibility study and another bridge design that was completed last year in July. Japan offered to provide loans for the bridge. Botswana said they were capable of meeting their own half of the cost from their own reserves. You can google the design of the bridge!
i agree with u; Zambia is borrowing whilst Botswana is using its local resources what a difference. how much will pf borrow in the next 3 years? Â
PF pays me to slam the opposition especially Nevers Mumba, and I am going to do my job well. Get used to it.
Malabishi, biatch!
Hule munyelo wakanthu
These PF loans are getting worrying. On the bright side is these projects they are getting loans for get completed, paying back the loans will not be a problem. What is happening with taxes from copper and investers?
This is a very progressive development for our beloved country Zambia. My only worry is the degree of borrowing. I feel we are borrowing far far too much than our capacity of paying back. Despite this vision of massive development, the amount of borrowing is very worrying. We need to reduce on borrowing other wise this tendency is going to have a massive negative impact on some of us when we get in employment. We can not feel it now because it is a long term effect in the long run. Let us be careful in the way we borrow before we find our selves in a debt trap if the situation remains unchecked.
I crossed the zambezi river from botswana and back again acouple of months ago. it was a sorry site.those pontoons did not look safe at all and are very expensive especially for trucks and buses which pass there everyday.A bridge is a must over there indeed.its overdue in these modern times!!..its just like less thena kilometer stretch of the river zambezi mwebantu!!
How much is lubindas commission for signing the loan contract
THESE ARE PROFITABLE TRIPS. VERY GOOD. THIS IS WHAT ANY ZAMBIAN WANTS. WE MAY BE LAND-LOCKED BUT FOR SURE WE ARE LAND-LINKED.
#10, ULICISUSHI. THE WORD IS IMPLEMENTATION.
Working Government indeed!! Nothing wrong with borrowing as long as the money is channeled towards constructive economic ventures. Pls don’t go the wasteful way of borrowing to buy hearses and mobile hospitals.
Now u can say this GOVT. is working, putting priorities first. This bridge has been long overdue and will be a boon for imports, exports and clear the bottleneck.Great Achievement For President SATA and it would be only right to Honour him by Naming the Bridge after him.
21:06:30 learn to give brief back ground pliz! Levy started it all. satana could even have sent the ps to sign and collect the plan and details on behalf of govt. gbm is crying becoz he was left behind.
Its a total shame for Zambia the 5th largest producer of copper in the world to fly all the way to Japan to go borrow US$41m.
you can say that again, afterwards the “dosh” will evaporate in thin air or buried in trunks at some farm while the masses continue to be taken for dunderheads
Why not use part of the Euro bond loan to build the bridge than getting more debt.
the euro bond is probably already been shared among few people living like oil barons in a third world country
How about a “bridge to cleanliness” because thats what we need the most?Yes,money for sanitation and public education about it.Zambia is a very dirty country,trash everywhere and plenty of cholera friendly sites.Now this bridge will make it easier for zedians to export their dirty culture to other places.Yikes.
Kazungula bridge is in Southern Province where the PF has no member of parliament, can critics tell us if this is not good development we urget governmemt to take it elsewhere???
The trips are useful and not just gallavanting like one erstwhile, President for all Zambians!!!!
Now that the bridge is to be built, can PF dust the town plan of kazungula and start implementing it? then claim it as your plan….we know you!
#25, do you know how much Japan has? ati The engineer Australia, give us a break. this is how Japan survives and America too. so its nothing wrong to get a loan from such countries and more over japan is the best place due to accountability. iam talking from experience bwana
ati “talking with expirence” iya kunya amasushi naufulama… we cipumbu we!!
#29, i meant to say how much debt Japan has?
last time I saw “ka chiluba” he was coming out of a pit latrine behind a council match box house in Kamitondo T/Ship Kitwe, at that time he was still in ZTCU or something like that and dating my cousin Kathy MHSRIP… whatever you saw in his house including shoes.. were obtained thru stolen public funds.
it’s id!otic to praise a thief that used stolen public money to make his life extravagant.
mind you ” An aristocracy in a republic is like a chicken who’s head has been cut off; it may run about in a lively way, but in fact it is dead”
jeez it beats me how some people can feel proud and happy when more than 90% of the people who “made them” are going hungry, without clean water, sanitation, etc…
ati.. have you seen FTJ’s house amafi yeka yeka te apa fyalishala
The moment Japan even dares to repay all its debt, the moment their economy will collapse and they know it very very well.
you are so ignorant, i dont blame you. You are the f o o l who doesn’t even know that japan has high tech AUTOMATIC toilets, its because you are here to clean fish, in’it..how would you know! you probably live in a room without a veiw rubbish!!!
*view* kolwe
Good move guys the PF. But dont steal the money like the MMD thugs and their adviser HH when they shared our money and companies through fake privatization. Dont steal these money PF we pray you. Work for Zambia and not your pockets.
Good move, but lets not depend so much on Loans. The question is Where is our copper money going. Remember Zambia is a Leading copper producer in Africa.
PF is riding on other peoples backs. There is nothing new about this bridge. It would have been completed at the same time as the New Chirundu bridge but Zimbabwe objected for it to pass through part of their land. PF dont always sound clever when you are not. All the projects being implemented so far were planned for by MMD including the Link 8000 project. Next you will tell us that the ring road project in Lusaka is PF’s idea. My foot!
#34 Â Zambia is a leading copper producer in Africa, yes much true.Where is our copper money going? My FOOT!!! Â what copper money when the copper produced does not belong to you,Chiluba and his ferociously hungry MMD government sold away all mines at give away prices but with huge chunks of “nchekeleko” Â and just after they did that copper prices went up about 6 times more,and would have not been the same by now.Check your facts right.Â
The fact that Zambia does not own the mines does not mean Zambia does not make money from copper. Mining companies pay corporate Tax and royalties. Where does the money go to be fly to Japan to borrow US$41m
By the time PF is kicked out in 2016 Zambia will be swimming in debt
Zambians lets get things in their perspectives. Facts are that all major undertakings by the donor community were crafted and negotiated by MMD. Its in good faith that PF is following up these important development tasks to our nation. The benefits will accrue to Zambia and the future generation. I hear comments that PF is working, yes but in what sense?. Developed countries that commit their tax payers’ monies do so after examining matters in details including strategical national development plans well stipulated. A positive way of PF govt to win and continue to receive aid is to agree with what MMD development plans were submmitted to the donors. Kazungula bridge project is such a project.
# 33 majority of the men and women in PF were part of the rooting group in the MMD. HH had nothing to do with the rooting. He was a consultant and he was paid for the job just like Chipimo. MMD and PF are the same coin with two faces. Ask them they will tell you that they were also part of UNIP. We know them. Bamuselela Kwakaba!
# 30 I understand # 26 very well. US$ 41m is to little to be borrowed by a 5th Largest producer of copper in the world.
# 29 this has nothing to do with PF. It is purely an Economic decision. Are you telling me that since PF has no representation in Southern Province then we should renovate Kariba Dam and Kafue Gorge power stations? you must be sick in your head. In any case this project was not decided upon by PF but MMD.
Next we need to obtain money to set up a big power station across the Luapula river at least a 1000MW capacity which is roughly $2 billion . We can also set up smaller ones across the Chambeshi and Luangwa rivers for 300MW each and numerous 50MW across the so many rivers that send all the waters to the indian ocean for free.
This is not exciting news to some of us that have been following this issue.So many memorandum of understanding have been signed before,just rhetorics.Anyhow lets wait and see if it will be done before 2016.
Just came back from Pitch Black. They didn’ screen Fallen Angels bucease one of the bosses took the disc home and forgot to bring it back. Argh!They screened Happy Together instead. (And I remember telling someone that they weren’t showing this at all.) My second time watching. Mala and Ee enjoyed it.
Hi, just wanted to say i liked this article.