A CHINESE investor Sinoma Mpande Limestone Limited will spend US$500 million on constructing a cement production plant in Chongwe.
During a tour of the plant in the company of Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection Lloyd Kaziya recently, Lusaka Province Minister Japhen Mwakalombe said he was happy that about 1,000 jobs have been created so far.
Mr Mwakalombe reaffirmed Government’s commitment to creating employment for Zambians.
“First of all, I am very excited that Sinoma is investing such huge amounts of money in this plant. What is so exciting is that the management has taken care of issues of dust emission into our environment.
“I am pleased as provincial minister that issues of job creation for the local people have been prioritised by Sinoma. We want jobs for our people,” he said.
Mr Mwakalombe also asked the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection to work closely with his office so that issues of environmental protection can quickly be resolved by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency to enable the plant to operate at full capacity.
And Mr Kaziya said direct private sector investment is key to industrialisation, a development which President Lungu has prioritised.
“This is a project worth supporting, we need such industries in Zambia. This is what President Lungu is committed to achieving. The head of State wants more jobs to be created. We will do everything possible to support such investments,” Mr Kaziya said.
Sinoma Mpande Limestone Limited managing director Zhang Yuanci said about 85 percent of the works at the plant have been completed.
Mr Yuanci said the plant is expected to be commissioned in March next year, and that over 600 Zambians will be employed when it is fully operational.
“We plan to send Zambians for further training in China, after which they will be engaged to come and work at the plant. Most of our workers will be local people,” he said.
Mr Yuanci said about US$200 million has so far been invested in phase one of the construction of the cement production plant.
Good…then we can develop pieces of lands some of us have been buying and just holding on. Construction is becoming very cheap in Zambia. I foresee too many homes with few people to rent. Those building to turn real estate into business may be tying their money in wrong portfolios. We may see supply out stripping demand and everyone with money will have a home at most.
Diaspora professionals in high paying vocations may start to consider diversifying some of their monies from Western stocks into building their retirement homes in Zambia too.
Hi Zambians, if you by now not aware that you are colonised again more than you have ever been….continue with all the foreign investment….but stop crying when its to late.
A welcome development indeed. this should give Dangote and Larfage directors some sleepless nights. Another player in the market will certainly further dip the cost of construction. It is very difficult to compete with Chinese investors as their cost of capital is extremely low. Only hope is that the investment will not have a detrimental effect on the environment as has been the case with a number of Chinese projects.
Such a sad picture, on one side the latest SUVs and a govt convey and the other side a poor rural dweller struggling to carry his malata (iron roofing sheets) these are the things the Late Great MCS was against and had good health been with him I tell you we would not have had these expensive luxury SUV conveys- the cost on fuel and allowances of such a meaningless convey travelling from Lusaka to Chongwe and back can pay for the school fees of an entire class of our rural kids for one year! Shame! Shame and Shame!!!!!
This is too good to be true. A cement plant will on average take 36 months or more to be constructed. If 85% of the works has already been completed as is being claimed, the plant would already be standing tall and visible. Vital aspects of the plant like Quarry, Crusher plant, Parking plant, Cement mill etc would already be in place awaiting commissioning, for a plant that is to commence operations in March next year. We all saw how long it took Dangote to commence operations.
What is that picture about?