In its move for economic diversification , government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Radixus Pty Limited of South Africa for the construction of Itezhi Tezhi International Airport in Itezhi Tezhi district in central province.
According to the MoU, the planned International Airport seen to also boost tourism in the area and the airport will be built on the basis of a public-private partnership (PPP).
The engaged private partner will Finance, Design, Build, Operate,and Transfer (FDBOT) the facility after 25 years.
The proposed site for the airport is on a land approximately 6 kilometres North East of Itezhi Tezhi along the D769 road that links Itezhi Tezhi to Mongu –Lusaka Road.
The project once completed will be a magnet for business locations, commercial transactions, information exchange, and leisure activities.
The airport will become the main gateway into the Kafue National Park and is envisaged to boost the tourism industry in Itezhi Tezhi which has been a tourism sleeping giant.
The MoU was signed today by Central Province Permanent Secretary Daisy Ng’ambi for the Government of Zambia, Eugene Labuschagne (Chief Operating Officer and Noluthando Shweni (Chairperson) for Radixus Pty Limited of South Africa.
Central Province Permanent Secretary said the signing of the Memorandum of understanding signifies the beginning of many developmental activities in Itezhi Tezhi district.
“Government is anxious to take development to all parts of the country to improve the living standards of its people” Ms Ng’ambi said.
She said that the project once developed will improve people’s lives by boosting tourism industry, job creation, and provide efficient transport necessary for business.
“By 2018 Itezhi Tezhi district will be a different place as it will be tremendously transformed, ” she said shortly after the signing ceremony held at Itezhi Tezhi District Commissioner’ office.
And Radixus Pty Limited Chief Operating Officer Eugene Labuschagne said works are expected to commence by June next year once feasibility studies and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are completed.
He said that the facility will include the aviation – linked urban form, which consists of an airport surrounded by diverse land use.
The project will stimulate economic development and job creation in Itezhi Tezhi district.
Mr. Labuschagne disclosed that his company also aims to build a sizeable modern shopping mall in Itezhi Tezhi.
Itezhi Tezhi District Commissioner Hendrix Kaimana said that he was delighted that such development is coming to the district.
Mr. Kaimana said that infrastructure development will contribute immensely to productivity of the district by facilitating efficient connectivity and easing the movement of goods and the provision of services.
He said the development will increase the revenue base for the local authority.
Meanwhile Chief Kaingu said he was the happiest person to see the development in the district.
He said the district has a lot of unemployed people and the construction of the facility will help in creating jobs and promoting the tourism industry.
Guys, Guys, this is not economic Development to be honest!!! you are stealing money by creating unnecessary contracts!! Kaizer Zulu, Amos Chanda and Edgar Lungu, God will punish you one day. Just think of it, Ndola and Livingstone airports are under-utilised and then you come up with an idea of think of creating another airport, and I think you are LUNATICS and *****S Pathetic Fools (PF).
Use money to give people agriculture inputs, sort out electricity and water including sewerage system rather an airport, for who? *****S
There is much more not seen here! However the hunch is what will accrue to Zambia is minimal as the PF government is only facilitating a circuit for primary tourists who will enjoy ticket purchases marketed by South Africa that the round trip will take the tourists to the Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls and Kafue National Park. They won’t even have to stay a night on the Zambian soil as park rangers will be on hand to drive them through the park before bringing them back for the return flight! Is it not happening that they arrive mid morning in Livingstone and head back to their hotels in RSA?
This is fake news. The road to Itezhitezhi is almost impassable, like the Solwezi road. And the area that is targeted is infested with tsetse flies. This scam is just to pfool the people of Itezhitezhi as a by-election is looming they agreed Greyford Moonde won his petition against the UPND MP. After the by-election, you will never hear of this folly again.
We have a bunch of Yahoos here saying all the stuff about Itezhi Tezhi International all because they were not part of the planning process. But next time you fly home and the closest international landing spot to their village is Itezhi Tezhi they reap the benefits and never say thanks a trillion.
Get serious people be part of creating something for your country … the reason this site has so many critics is because these Yahoos over here have nothing significant they can point that they are themselves part of us. So, the natural tendencies are such that everything they see looks bad.
Get a life … the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise deserve better than the usual armchair critics
I see a situation where only foreigners will be romping and the natives will be prohibited.
This a mere political rhetoric of visionless Lungu & PF violent bandits!
To date, the PF pathological lies have been cut short by their donchi kubeba maladies in dununa regret. Where is the national airline to which PF’s bandit Mukanga failed to fulfil?
Everything under dununa regret is lies of these PF kleptomaniacs of blind Lungu. From national airline to airport when PF bandits have failed the economy. If they can’t maintain Inter city bus terminal & kulima tower, how can PF minions maintain an airport in Itezhi Tezhi? Story of the desert Carmel & needle! Its all lies by PF charlatans.
The Skeleton Key
~206~
Is Itezhi Tezhi International airport more urgent than:
1. Upgrade of Ndola Airport, or
2. Solwezi International Airport?
Where is the Ministry of National Planning?
This is fake news. The road to Itezhitezhi is almost impassable, just like the Solwezi road. And the area that is targeted is infested with tsetse flies. This scam is just to pf00l the people of Itezhitezhi as a by-election is looming after Greyford Moonde won his petition against the UPND MP. After the by-election, you will never hear of this folly again.
Really? Apart from the game park, what other meaningful industry and productivity are in the area? I thought a grounding of economic activity should come before the building of an airport or shopping mall – not the other way round. Where will the ‘customers’ for both the airlines and shopping mall come from? Even the malls in a big city like Lusaka are struggling with business. May be I am mistaken, someone advise me about the economic robustness of Itezhi Itezhi
agree with you dear
YOU ARE SO RIGHT. WHY CAN THESE PEOPLE NOT GET THEIR PRIORITIES RIGHT? HOW MANY PASSENGERS WILL THE AIRLINE FERRY TO INTEZITEZI? BUILD A DUAL CARRIAGE WAY FROM NDOLA TO LIVINGSTONE INSTEAD AND CUT DOWN THE RTA S.
Wanu Ngwee and Harold Muna,
Do you honestly think someone would design, finance and build an airport without doing the necessary assessment? You are not the only ones with brains besides this is not Zambian money but the investors’ so dont have a heart attack for nothing.
Shu Shu Shu, Yes they would. All they care about is getting paid. If they can make a profit from their initial investment then they wouldn’t care much what happens after. Its called capitalist business. We Zambians should demand for dual carriage ways to be built first. KK international and Harry Mwaanga to be completed before embarking on another project.
Its under private public partnership program..Read and understand bwana
Nox, do you understand what is MOU? This airport is just another wishful thinking. ABSOLUTE ZERO. NOTHING.
Yes put up infrastructure of 23 years life spun. Make your money and then leave. It is called business.
And you put such infrastructure in middle of nowhere? That is not business. That is 1mbecility!!!
For the next 25 years they will airlifting poached creatures in unbridled fashion alongside the nuclear station whose owners will also ride rough-shod on the consumer until they have recouped their “investment”. Why are we unashamedly signing away our rights while the Prof. Chriwa’s of this world are left to languish on the sidelines on the pretext of “abuse of office”??? Use your citizenry madoda, they have what it takes. All they need is your government’s support and they will come flocking from their diaspora nests to do what they have learnt and know best! Yaba!
there are rumours of gold deposits somewhere there after 25 years Zambia nimumenso folo koloko……
It appears some Zambians don’t understand the the definition of ppp ? This is a project financed by universter after seeing the potatio . Coz how do someone talk of file carriage ?
How many KMs is Lusaka International airport from Itezhi Tezhi? If it is less than 300kms, then Lusaka ought to be able to meet air travel needs of anybody doing business in Itezhi Tezhi. Why create international airports all over the place? This will mean added security problems due to the multiplicity of such sites. There is no population in Itezhi tezhi worth serving with an international airport. This only means that there is a huge scam to get hold of our animals in Kafue national Park for the current insatiable demand for Zambian game, such as Kafue Lechwe! If we had a real GRZ, such useless projects would never be intertained in order to focue on the critical needs of Zambians!
well said dear. perplexed too! anyway,it wont go anywhere.
@Shu Shu Shu .. the questions we ask are legitimate. If YOU have done the needs assessment, tell us. From what exists, and as someone has said, what extra will Itezhi Itezhi airport bring that is not serviced already by the nearby KK airport? Or is there some other business venture we are not aware of?
This country is really in denial. What is the corporate existence of this company and what did they do in RSA?? If by gauging the capital outlay of the envisaged construction of the airport that includes designs of the facility and the shopping mall, operating it and the rest, it clearly shows that this company will engage in tourism air charters, tourism marketing, landing charges and fuel supplies at the airport. But when you scrutinizes properly you would expect that to engage in this undertaking, the company must show realistic corporate presence where it originally floated itself. In RSA, Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), does not have any profile or records of such a company, The Commercial Aviation Association OF Southern Africa has no record of such a…
Ndola is about 300 kilometers away from Lusaka, should we abandon Ndola airport because it can be serviced by KKIA? Bama kaka, how Mfuwe International Airport, the airport is meant to fly in tourist directly into the National Parks
In Zambia sometimes we wait for someone to mute an idea and then we start criticizing with passion. Let’s all bring up new ideas and projects and also finance them then we will realize what it means to implement a project of such magnitude. We are just busy making negative comments but we do not have any alternatives. Cowards!
a company. How does it jump from nowhere to such an undertaking??? The traditional authorities must be very careful of schemes undertaken by government when it engages commercial crooks who have done their research properly to establish that within the radius where the airport is to be constructed, there could be huge potential deposits for gold /Coltan. This is a trap. They will build airport first and later the same people disclose that there are huge resources there and therefore they wont move out unless they are bought out or they be allowed to engage another partner to mine in which case the capital outlay of air port becomes a gentleman’s concession to the government. This is rubbish. Kafue national park cannot be compared to the Kruger national park, the Okavango delta. Why…
Why they did not construct next to these parks which don’t even have proper and modern aerodromes ?? Investigate these crooks and the politicians involved.
No national airline but busy making ghost airports
heeeeee hold on it is like this, the SA will build the airport mean while employment for Zambians will be created and government will collect Tax and other monies then after 25 years the SA will hand over the airport to the Zambian government as its property, so here government is only providing land not money and in the end it will benefit.