Government is happy that 85 percent works of the 175 kilometer Mansa-Luwingu road has been done.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Chishimba Kambwili who visited the project site recently said it is exciting Copperbelt and Kasama are now connected through the Mansa-Luwingu road.
Mr. Kambwili has advised Zambians going to Kasama to consider using the Mansa-Luwingu road through the Pedicle road as it is shorter and cheaper.
He says the PF government’s target is to reduce the cost of transportation as a means of attracting development and opening up markets in rural areas.
The Minister has since thanked President Edgar Lungu for showing leadership in completing road projects started by late President Michael Sata as many did not believe that the Mansa-Luwingu road would be tarred as part of the Link Zambia 8000 road project.
And BARI Zambia the Project Supervising Consultants for China Henan International Corporation, the contractor working on the road, says 166 kilometers of the road has been tarred and only 9 Kilometres is remaining.
BARI Zambia Acting Resident Engineer Vera Hara says works for the 242-million dollar project will resume in March because of the rains and is expected to finish by August despite the contract running up to 2017.
Meanwhile Luwingu District Commissioner Patrick Chanda has appealed to the Road Development Agency -RDA- to consider taking portable weigh bridges on the road because there has been a rise in foreign truckers using the road.
And Government says it is considering financing options for the roads sector because there is pressure on the national treasury.
Works and Supply Permanent Secretary Charles Sipanje says Government will now consider Public Private Partnerships- PPPs and contractor financed projects.
Speaking when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances in Lusaka, Mr. Sipanje says Government will further accelerate the construction of Toll Gates in order to generate local revenue to finance road projects.
He says the economic challenges resulting from a fall in copper prices and strengthening of the US Dollar has affected the flow of resources from the Ministry of Finance.
He has however, assured the Parliamentary Committee that Government is working hard to complete the road projects.
And Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances Chairperson Ambros Lufuma has urged the Ministry to work hard as the road projects are meant to better the lives of the Zambians.
I love election year. The projects gets finished in time to dupe the masses
Just what is good for you Kalunga?
PROJECTS WITH PF STARTED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THEY CAME INTO OFFICE AND HAVE BEEN FINISHING IN GOOD TIME. WANTING CONTRACTORS HAVE EVEN BEEN PUT TO TASK. SO, ONE CANNOT SAY THIS IS BECAUSE OF ELECTION TIME IN THE CASE OF PF.
You are thanking Lungu without mentioning Ba Sata. You know it Kambwi that mr Sata is the one who was bold enough to start road projects.
@PLUS more like stuupid enough to borrow money and build roads when the Zambian economy needed power generation facilities much more!
Have you forgotten that it was Sata that cancelled the Kafue Gorge contract as soon as he came to power?
THAT IS WHY WE HAVE LOAD SHEDDING NOW!
His stupidity has cost the Nation billions in lost productivity. Do the roads PF has built with corrupt contracts make up for that?
you would rather they were unfinished? its obvious they were not started in election year dummy
These projects started just when the able PF came into power, big ups to PF for been firm in taking up infrastructure projects.
Zambians are really dull.
You are happy to have the roads and are praising the politicians for doing them but will you be happy when you have to pay back the kaloba that the PF has borrowed?
Read what they have said. Zambia is bankrupt and the people who lent the money now want it back WITH INTEREST!
These are not your roads. They belong to foreigners. AND YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY PLENTY TO USE THEM!
And you think UPND and HH will conjure up resources without Kaloba. PF should be commended for being bold and visionary to do what no one has done since independence – to actually do the roads, schools Hospitals and admin infrastructure. Not just theorising and dreaming about it. No government in the world has ever developed without Kaloba. No borrowing, no economic growth. Investors can never develop any country its governments which develop countries through leverage. Please do not be duped by pies in the sky
Even there where you are in the USA … trillions upon trillions are borrowed to continually upgrade the physical infrastructure of the country. No kaloba provider has ever gone to the country they lent the money to and got back the infrastructure which was procured with the kaloba they provided….simply because they never own them.
Its good the road is almost done but my appeal to the Zambian government is to talk to the Congolese government so that those Congolese police offers should stop asking for bribes and other money the force us to pay just to use the road. Am a foreigner and some of the charges those congolese police officers put on us are frivolous to say the least. I once found a Zambian driver impounded with his car because he had different TYRE BRANDS. Otherwise its the shortest route to the great province of Luapula which has more tourism potential than what is currently done. Cheers
@honey even at personal level you have to sacrifice if you want to develop. If you want to build a house or buy a car you have to get a loan and adjust your life in order to achieve so it takes boldness in order to do what you want just as PF has done.Even HH can not develop this country without borrowing.
Correction Pius, the road projects were conceived by Late President Mwanawasa, it was all part of his strategic plan to link Zambia to other countries. The various roads were meant to be built over a period of time, without striping our reserves!!
Since the Kaunda time, l have never seen this kind of infratructure development. Mwanawasa might have those plans, but did not have the political will to implement. We should thank man of action the late President MCS MHSREP. So we will give the PF Government another five year mandate. VIVA PF and ECL;