Friday, March 29, 2024

President Lungu upset over stalled projects, summons Ministers and calls for new strategy

Share

President Edgar Chagwa Lungu (right) addresses Ministers and Permanent Secretaries at State House in Lusaka on Friday,January 26,2018. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2018

PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU has directed the treasury and all spending agencies to urgently constitute a special task force to expedite the completion of infrastructure projects which have stalled across the country.

According to a statement released by President Lungu’s spokesperson Amos Chanda, The head of state is particularly disappointed that many projects especially in Muchinga which he recently toured have stalled.

Mr Chanda said to address this the head of state summoned a special meeting of selected ministers and technocrats from ministries and departments concerned to agree on a new strategy to rationalise on going and new projects.

“I want to see to it that all stalled projects are completed before new ones are contracted. We have resolved that no new projects are undertaken until we execute the current ones. Focus should be on projects whose completion level had reached about 85 percent, and then we go to those at 60 percent and eventually start new ones,” President Lungu said.

“I have therefore directed the Treasury and all spending agencies to urgently constitute a Special Taskforce to expedite the completion of infrastructure projects which have stalled across the country.”

And President Lungu says there is urgent need to streamline the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Unit under the Ministry of Finance to improve on the pace at which it implements projects.

He said The PPP Unit is currently not operating to the desired expectations and needs to be re-examined.

Following the head of states direction the ministers resolved to reconvene at State House on Tuesday, 6th February, 2018 to map out a new strategy to respond to President Lungu’s concerns.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Finance, Hon. Felix Mutati, Prof. Nkandu Luo (Higher Education), Hon. Dr. Dennis Wanchinga (General Education), Hon. Stephen Kampyongo (Home Affairs), Hon. Ronald Chitotela (Infrastructure and Housing), Hon. Vincent Mwale (Local Government), Hon. Alexander Chiteme (National Development Planning), Hon. Dr. Chitalu Chilufya (Health), Hon. Malozo Sichone (Muchinga Province) and Presidential Affairs Minister Hon. Freedom Sikazwe.

President Edgar Chagwa Lungu (right) addresses Ministers and Permanent Secretaries at State House in Lusaka on Friday, January 26,2018. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2018
President Edgar Chagwa Lungu (right) addresses Ministers and Permanent Secretaries at State House in Lusaka on Friday, January 26,2018. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2018

94 COMMENTS

  1. I agree with you, Great Leader of this Great Nation. Zambians are lazy people across the board. They need constant supervision.

    • This proves he listens to the people and is working very HARD

      To do something about it, is half the problems solved

      Morons below will dispute the irrefutable truth i have politely furnished them

      Just back home from hospital after spending 6 days. Thank you for all who prayed for me and sent me messages.

      You mean a lot to me.

      I have given up now. I dont know what i have done to the gods.

      Thanks

      BB2014,2016

    • But where is the national plan if govt has to change and come up with strategies at every turn of events? To me, ECL is playing politics because of the pressure he’s facing. Truth is there are no funds, they have dried the supply, and secondly, PF has no capacity and brains to run the country. This started with MCS who created more districts without planning. Then this visionless man comes in to worsen the already bad situation. You cannot develop throwing funds at everything you see or hear. Plan!!!!

    • Imbeciles blame Government for everything. This is clearly a case of lazy Zambians failing to perform. Bring in foreign contractors!

    • ZAMBIA IS A DIRTY COUNTRY!!!

      Don’t blame the marketeers for the cholera outbreak, The rot starts with government. This is what you’ll find at any GRZ office including Cabinet Office and State House.
      1. No water and No toilet paper in staff and guest toilets (only newspapers, sometimes)
      2. Dirty Floors that have not been swept in Years!
      3. Broken furniture littered all over the corridors, even in foreign mission offices – it SUCKS!!!!
      4. Broken down GRZ vehicles that lie on stones and have been parked there for YEARS!!!
      5. Dirty wall in offices and corridors
      The way these offices look is the way their occupants THINK, and in fact that’s what the ARE – Dirty and unsuitable to lead.

    • This man is truly visionless dull and fake isn’t he the one who said some ministers are corrupt. Hasn’t he seen the auditor general’s report? Hasn’t he heard that the dual carriageway was overpriced? What about the fire engines?
      All the money has been sucked buy all those corrupt people around you !
      Wake up Kambwili, HH and Chipimo are hoovering over your weak body they know you are a dead man walking!

    • “…stalled projects”…”call for new strategy.” That sounds as though you are learning to govern by way of trial and error.

    • What a dull foool he is…when all the funds have been eaten thats when he wakes up from his stupor….you mean when you were buying Fire trucks for 3 times the price where do you think the money was coming from!!

    • Hello Mr. President … This is about the right time to evaluate your team and make some changes … serious changes, especially at Finance, Commerce & National Planning. Switch people around to generate new ideas and synergies.

      In fact, the February meeting should really be about that … necessary changes where possible because Zambia Is Greater Than Any Single One Of Us ~ B R Mumba, Sr.

      God speed!!

    • I’ve come to conclude that some of the President’s ministers are plotting his downfall. I have come to this conclusion by simply observing their performance. Why the President has continued to use them I fail to understand. I for one lost faith in ECL when he disappointed farmers over the maize price in favour of the crooked miller cartels. I don’t see President Lungu winning in 2021 there is no way! So many are disappointed with his performance. What is sad is we will end up with HH who will completely destroy this country, what new ideas can HH with his gang who include crooked politicians who were in Unip. MMD and PF bring??? Nothing just lies and more stealing!

    • I now see that most of you here don’t follow local news I make it a habit to listen to and watch most media channels……Madam Inonge Wina nearly a year ago toured Northern and muchinga provinces and CLEARLY stated on TV that there weren’t enough funds and the government was constrained and will only focus on completing what they had started and not contract any new projects. So what is Chagwa saying now???? People please don’t be excited with what Lungu is saying now. He has just come out of his sleep and will soon slip back into it

    • I BEGGED YOU ECL TO STOP TOURING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE : KALABA WANTED TO KEEP YOU BUSY IN THE AIR AS YOUR MINISTERS PORCHED AND LAZIED AROUND.
      ====================
      Ministers must not fear you, they must first of all be qualified for their jobs and be in the know of their job roles. Yes, Zambians in hospitals, farms, industries, schools, universities, colleges, energy sector, telecoms, councils, lands and across the board need not only supervision but cross supervision. You ECL need to be overboard and visit all active projects and again. Why? Because they cost money. Taxpayers’ money.

    • Muleke ukwiba ba fytile. Then there will be money for projects. Since the fire tenders, ambulance scandals and other corrupt activities such as house building by every Jim and Jack in govt worth colossal amounts of stolen money, acquisition of LUNTE trucks companies etc the projects have stalled. If you stop stealing Jonathan then the projects will resume. Mwabutusha na Pilato!

    • IN THE SIMILAR WAY THE CITY FATHERS WENT TO SLEEP WHILE CHOLERA POUNDS ZAMBIANS AND CLAIM LIVE, YOUR MINISTERS HAVE ALSO GONE TO SLEEP WHILE RUNNING DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS HAVE COME TO A HALT AND THEY DON’T CARE BECAUSE THEY GET PAID BY THE PUBLIC THEY ARE FORESAKING. UNLESS YOU START FIRING THEM FOR SLEEPING OTHERWISE EVEN THAT GATHERING AT STATE HOUSE IS A SHEER WASTE OF TIME. THEY WON’T WAKE UP. THEY WILL SIMPLY GO BACK TO SLEEP AND START DREAMING. CHOLERA, SLEEPING MINISTERS AND MAYORS, STALLED PROJECTS- IT’S A NO BRAINER- THESE ARE CLEAR INDICATIONS DEEP CORRUPTION AMONGST MINISTERS, MAYORS AND OTHER AUTHORITIES.

    • @Lombe…your great leader is the laziest one. His ministers just reflect what they see from him. You can’t push people to make them do what you’re not doing yourself. Doesn’t work that way.

    • Ecl is the one who has made these projects to stall coz he busy globe trotting and the calibre of advisors u are so shallow minded the likes of freedom sikazwe and Kaiser Zulu this just a woke up call bwana president

    • @Mushota you were caught up in the cholera wake up my dear! We told you Luapula is not the place to be this time of the year! I’m sure now you will be asking us to hold your hand whilst you cross the river. Wake up like ECL.

    • Ba @2020Vision … wait a minute now!!! Don’t include UNIP as part of the crooked politicians. Under my parte, PIG (Parte In Government) was clean as a whistle.

      Nearly all politicians under UNIP were very rich before getting into GRZ, they all understood that public service was a noble cause and was a patriot thing to do.

      All members of parliament raised their own campaign funds, mostly by selling existing businesses so we had rich politicians in the like of Peter Chanshi, Joshua Mumpasha, Enoch Kavindele, Ben Mwila, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula, Sikota Wina, Kirby Musokotwane and the list is endless.

      None of these joined GRZ because of contracts, I know so because some of the above were my relatives and I proudly rode GRZ flying flagged cars as a kid and went out on campaigning trails…

    • Continued …

      The MMD on the other hand was full of beggars and pampers with the exception of a few like Ben Mwila, Enoch Kavindele, Guy Scott, Levy Mwanawasa, etc. when some crossed over but 98% of new comers yali fye ni sangwapo.

      With the kaponya mentality, they started. By the 2nd year in office under FTJ, serious rich guys started leaving, the Winas, Scott, Mung’ombas, Ben Mwila (though Mwila left latter) but the dynamics had completely changed by 1996.

      Nearly everyone left the as a thief like the Post Newspaper once reported and I quote “Thief In Chief – FTJ”. End of quote. Nearly everything thereafter was implicated in some graft of some sort and they looted what they found not only by privatization but in most cases asset stripping.

      In certain cases, asset stripping was…

    • In certain cases asset stripping was worse than privatization … the stole machinery which was the back borne of Zambian industrialization to scrap metal dealer from RSA.

      Equipment worth billions such the ones at Dunlop Zambia Ltd, Rover Zambia, Livingstone Motor Assemby, Mansa Batteries, etc. all stolen. Fleets of cars for Mine Captains for ZCCM all stolen to be used as taxis on the Copperbelt, Rosa staff minibuses all stolen for new intercity transportation.

      That’s why when some of say the greatest curse the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise brought in themselves was the MMD, we know exactly what we are talking about. Zambians lost dignity and their own inheritance was sold for a morsel of bread.

      Apart from being Thief In Chief, FTJ also became Womanizer In Chief!!!…

    • Continued …

      Apart from being Thief In Chief, FTJ also became Womanizer In Chief!!! Instead of him running the country, he let his libido ruin his life, and the rest is history.

      Heaven help us all …

  2. Ministers must be rejoicing that there will be more money out in speculation.
    Edgar should have changed some of those lukewarm ministers.

    • ECL is a poor manager ,a visionless leader and a clueless tactician.Surely even Pep Guardiola would do better than him in running Zambia.

    • Its strange he has to go to see what’s on the ground to know that nothing is happening when AG’s report itself speaks volumes about his govt’s recklessness…why does he pretend to a bystander when he is the President..create a stake-force..really laughable!!

  3. Last time i said it that in strategic performance management we compare the actual performance against the plan/objective and that if there are any variances we investigate to identify the causes and why and how they have occurred. After investigations we now take a corrective action to bring the performance on course. Therefore, we professional people/technocrats understood very well that the president was in the right direction to achieve the desired results and this is what we had anticipated way back before this meeting. Only people with deficiency in strategic management concept will open their mouth to start condemning this meeting. I know people from the tribal grouping are good at criticizing everything whether good or bad, they are allergic to good news.

    • Last time I also said that book learning ignorance kills. I do not see anything strategic about comparing actual performance against against the plan/ objective NINE MONTHS after their project has stalled. You should be doing these two thinks in tandem and then you can change/ modify directions at the appropriate time.
      To me you seem to have the theoretical knowledge but are unable to apply it in the real world

    • The clown has been chairing cabinet meeting since he came into power, why should he think strategic management now in this knee – jerk reaction? He should have instituted this process when he began to implement the ambitious development programme whose main driver are the kickback he and his lot are interested in. He cannot hoodwink the nation now.

  4. For me I think every one in Zambia is a tribalist. When we were changing government in 1991, Eastern Province remained with Kaunda as their Son (Kumawa) where as the rest of the provinces including those we label tribalists voted with the rest for Chiluba. It had to take Mwanawasa when he recruited Lupiya Banda for Easterners to shift to MMD. Again when RB lost elections to MCS, easterners remained with their son in the name of RB. Until ECL became president, we saw Eastern Province drift to PF because they had their man at the helm. Is this not tribalism?

    • It’s tribalism just like when the Supreme leader HH stands the whole southern province will back their own…Now the difference is to win the Bemba aligned tribal grouping who are in the majority for one to go to statehouse and this is the grouping the UPND sycophants insults day in and day out…So until such time that the Supreme leader HH and his supporters stop playing to the gallery that they are the most intelligent people in the country, their stay in the opposition may be for a foreseeable future…

  5. @Ntaula
    When we tell you that hero worship your HH would make you dunderhead. Honestly you can’t differentiate the difference between planning and strategy? We are not surprised because your Kachema has been using this term, planning, loosely and mechanically.
    You can have a very superb plan but if your strategy to execute it weak, it’s as good as white elephant.
    Thanks to President Lungu for this serious intervention because most of our Ministers really have gone to sleep and it’s time they got running and start working.

    • You are all theives ……ati serious interventionii…….only after funds are depleted ??? Bunch of jokers and theives

    • @Malinso

      I never mentioned HH anywhere; I wonder where you got this from. You don’t even know the difference between a plan and a strategy. Hahaha. Am just a well informed Zambian who wants to see a better Zambia. Am not even affiliated to any political party. You claim to be sensible, what do you see in ECL that can now make zambia better with these hastily called upon meetings? Leaders should have strategic and tactical as well as dynamic approaches to running the affairs of our country. Don’t mislead ECL into thinking he now has something that can save our falling economic fortunes. Tell him the truth: he’s corrupt, surrounded himself with corrupt people; he’s a thief; he’s a weak man to be at the helm of our country; and lastly, he’s a tribalism like you and those that see things…

  6. Dull chaps… the president has to honestly tell you that things aren’t working?

    These are fuuck fuuck games …. m.unyenge m.unyenge pit latrin politicos.

    Zambia is an embarrassment!

  7. Hon Lou, Minister of Higher Education, does she know the importance of Palabana University as a Livestock University which when completed will drastically help Zambia increase its Livestock head? Why has such a great project stalled for 4 years, Why?
    Let’s be serious when we take up these positions, there are many out there who can deliver to the amazement of Zambians.
    A project has time lines otherwise it becomes a program. Thank you your Excellence for embarking on personal supervision.

  8. 85% 70% 65 % 50% 40% Fast tracking those projects in those infrastructure portfolio Its like ranking financing for those projects on reconciled schedules at 100% contract value less retention and defect liabilities on those certificates to commission Fast Tracking completion 100% completion of Projects with most economical social boom projects avoiding to loose track for those in lesser categories especially for long-term as the new ones are taken on firm justification

    Fast tracking will save costs and result in major savings if proper resource and financing methods are worked out

  9. with time and money being constrains including human ranking over a shorterm to medium as you complete all projects that will help you robust the economy will be a game changer but failure will be catastrophic for Zambia and more to the Good Chinese investments in Africa and Zambia given the outlook and perception of Chinese initiated and progress infra projects especially in Gambia Tanzania and here in Zambia

    The case in Zambia is an opportunity for Chinese Investors to make a difference and complete otherwise it will be difficult a reference point

  10. Look at Dubai, because of its well thought out strategy, it’s now the true hub of serious business in the middle of the desert! Yet everyone from Zambia wants to go there and envy Dubai shame!
    Egypt is a desert too, but see how advanced they are compared to mother Zambia blessed with everything under the sun.
    Let’s all work and bring glory to this great Nation Zambia!

    • How can we work when theives are in charge of our finances ? Sanctioning $42 million on fire trucks that should have cost $20 million…….

  11. No wonder Zambia can not be invited to the Devoce Conference!
    No planning….no thinking….but you started a new duel courage road for $1.2 million….was that planned

    • So is your plan to continue praying at accident spots each time there is an accident on your inadequately capacitated roads? What would YOU plan? More preachers, or contingency to enable financing to correct a longstanding nightmare?

    • Kalok

      Nairobi to mombasa dual carriage, 540 km = $700 million.

      Lungus road 340km = $1.2 billion…..can you notice the anomality ????

  12. And the lazy Zambians “failing” to execute projects are 96% upndees. One may even question whether these people are Zambian. Unfortunately they occupy strategic position in government and its agencies.. Please cleanse clear them the way we have done with garbage and cholera.

    • Hehehehe it is in muchinga where they are stalled projects ……what was the vote like in muchinga ?? Lazy pipo….

    • the projects stalled wen Chagwa became president. so its logical to hold him responsible over the problem. wen he started Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage way we challenged him to finish what was started first but could not listen. in fact even his Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage has stalled. the useless meetings he is holding wont even help.

  13. For those funded Projects yet not completed for commissioning, enforce contracts provisions as deemed commissioned and earn some refunds from those non performing yet paid contracts

    The funding has been debt and not upfront equity and therefore normal for projects funding as you struggle to manage and fund cost overruns genuinely below below 10% not excess of 50% otherwise designers must be penalised for the variations deemed

    Chinese are also doing the Dubai concept its debt financing (fixed Income ) escrowed by reserves to be supported by streams of incomes from the same and sovereign oil for which like copper has been underperforming They have challenges…

  14. similarly also but determined to have a complete one stop city for buyers and sellers Investors and businessmen Key is investments in Infrastructure

    In other countries like the Trap administration, commerce and chambers have actually proposed for increment of GAS taxes and user fees on Toils to simply support the funding for Infrastructure because they know the savings in social and increased Investments that will add to 20 trillion economy If only they Invested n Infra The same is the case for countries that will perform long-term from 2018 to 2030

    The Zambian debt of USD 13 Billion is basically an asset base for one oil and commodity trading international company…

  15. The Zambian debt of USD 13 Billion is basically an asset base for one oil and commodity trading international company that it creates annually what more Zambia itself (ITS A QUESTION OF INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY

    That Martha chitemene at Zibsip Chiteme system was a good person at Zibsip and that is why Perpetual and Clara were very good people all of parklands well cultured should be supported they fed us well and treated all colleagues well .They also studied hard to succeed//

  16. Yaa You want to be well off from consumption spending Have a long-term view spend on infrastructure to create the basis core base on which to reorient or diversify the economy in the long-term
    If you spend wisely on quality infrustrure of core nature that spending will result in growth resulting from spending itself providing jobs and in the long-term opening up the economy to be vibrant and robust for those much needed ZRA revenues away from the traditional sources Copper You will increase the attractiveness of cities in water and roads that will result in the development of other services in non-traditional
    Every kwacha or dollar well spend on infrastructure projects and remains in…

  17. in Zambia on energy water, roads and other infrastructures will have some measure of economic rate of return to the Zambian economy of not less than 10% to 30% It shows you how the economy has been able to register some gains We need to solidify and consolidate that multiplier effect and ensure it recalls into ZRA and funds the debt That is the only way our economy will rapidly grow towards the IMF projects for our region of 5% for the near future
    Well priotised and soft management will help the Zambian economy and create the infra base for some years to come supporting other sectors of growth such as energy commodities services and other alternatives
    Failure will be…

  18. be opposite will be surely confirm Zambia to mediocrity for years Better finish in operational plans and strategies in the NDPs

    A lazy president takes an easy consumptive spending and fore cases on pleasing and making sure his tenure is as smoothie and risk averse with mediocre long-term growth and economic prospects that calls often for these interventions later at more costs than now in present value terms

    Your friend in Dubai are replicating the economic zones in Shenzhen to capture some spoils from china and make it another good story

    When you are investing certain performance measures will need to be moderated and ensure safe landing Its not cast in a stone…

  19. I told you…….in short the problem facing zambia is that the whole PF enterprise is conditioned on spending borrowed money……giving tenders to each other ….they can not run or function in a resistance economy come production economy……..PF only know how to borrow for projects, now no borrowing is to tax and tax until Zambians dance dunnuna in straight lines……muzachi ona….

    • “…the whole PF enterprise is conditioned on spending borrowed money…” Spending or “Stealing?” They are stealing, they have been stealing borrowed money. If they were to be spending it on genuine projects, as you seem to suggest; well, that would have been a different story. It would not have been as bad as it is.

  20. A good leader who takes charge and stirs the economic on tract will count more and never a quitter when pressured even when they are on track long-term Shortermism will not help you

    When I look at the Global competitive Index by world bank a see a constant relationship between successful cities and countries and core infrastructure and such is the dear case for Zambia
    Though this index or report by world has recently been disputed in the case of Chile because of some bias but if read with others there is always a correlation in long-term performance of the economies

  21. There is no blind borrowing I do not work for Gov. but I have listened and analysed the thinking by most intellectual economists and professionals Gov. has, You can tell that they now such things like economic rate of returns or IRR or Profitability Index or Value at Risk The Zambian economy at current prices is smaller than its projected demographics to 2030 and its only way is to expand and invest in infrastructure first to support Jobs for people and secondly improve competitiveness and quality of life You will need to improve the Co-efficiencies

    Everyone global has come to understand the Chinese Internal model as a standard for implication in the global context…

  22. and Infrastructure development is at the core and such infrastructure spending to create those future long-term jobs to improve the GIN should be seen as a National development Plan never a party or leader and should be criticised honestly and fairly whoever Whoever will assume power will need to improve the current near capacity failing and inadequate infrastructure and with smaller ZRA revenues to achieve accelerated progress and reduce implication costs the Option with be more debt as opposed to equity as the cycle of reinvestments in returns is improved from commissioned projects and the GDP grows add more revenues to ZRA diversified

  23. God should strike that room with lightning, that would be one quick way to get rid of the endemic pf corruption once and for all.

  24. Please pay the contractors as subcontractor we are in Limbo even completed projects are not paid how do we build capacity as Zambian contractors.

  25. Zambians are upset over the stalled economy , repeat cholera cases and all the PF corruption.What says you Lungu?

  26. You know what? I would take undees more seriously if only they passed just one positive comment or contribution about their country and their government, or admit just one mistake in their undees party or leadership. Otherwise they just sound like sour grapes, and as we go on to 2021 they will be rotten grapes.
    For example me, I have not supported the issue of another Zambia Airways and I am not ashamed of it.

  27. You know what? I would take und.ees more seriously if only they passed just one positive comment or contribution about their co.untry and their gov.ernment, or admit just one mistake in their und.ees party or lea.dership. Otherwise they just sound like sour grapes, and as we go on to 2021 they will be rot.ten grapes.
    For example me, I have not supported the issue of another Zam.bia Airwa.ys and I am not ashamed of it.

  28. You know what? I would take .und.ees. more seriously if only they passed just one positive comment or contribution about their co.untry and their gove.rnment, or admit just one mistake in their un.de.es party or leadership. Otherwise they just sound like sour grapes, and as we go on to 2021. they will be rotten grapes.
    For example me, I have not supported the issue of another Zam.bia Air.wa.ys and I am not ashamed of it.

  29. You know what? I would take .und.ees. more seriously if only they passed just one p.ositive com.ment or contrib.ution about their co.untry and their gove.rnment, or admit just one mistake in their un.de.es party or lead.ership. Otherwise they just sound like so.ur gra.pes, and as we go on to 2021. they will be ro.tte.n gr.apes.
    For example me, I have not supported the issue of another Zam.bia Air.wa.ys and I am not a.sh.amed of it.

    • How can any serious person pass any positive comment on a GRZ that is swimming in corruption ???

      42/42 , 52/288….1.2 billion road, mukula…

  30. Lungu is nothing but a corrupt theif leading a gang of violent thugs who use violence to silence opponents……

  31. Mr President we love you but this problem cannot be solved by ministers alone. Please invite Zambian contractors and consultants to get the real story. so far you have started a positive crusade.

  32. Damn shame that Kenya,Tanzania & Angola are already bigger more developed economies and they’re speeding ahead with growth of 6% or more while smaller Zambia slows down.You don’t ever let your peers leave you behind Lungu.

  33. The president just woke up from the slumber after touring the world since he was elected. People spoke about underdevelopment but his chief advisers in the name Freedom Sikazwe and Kaizer Zulu assured him that development was evident. They flew together like birds of the same furthers ignoring the voices of the opposition who interact with people. Its great that after the president has stayed home for at least one month, he has learnt that he and his Ministers have failed to take development to the people even to honour promises.Reduce trips and stop corruption that is what we want you to do in that office we gave you as president. We will retire you in 2021 if you do not pull up your socks we need development not promises.

  34. What can one expect from Freedom Sikazwe on the “Special Task Force”! This is a joke. This is admission of cabinet failure. The government has now to be run by a task force.

  35. There is nothing wrong in having an operational tactical strategy in addressing projects mile stones

    In terms of quality long-term economic prospects, Zambia with its attributes is more potentially Investable Grade than Kenya Tanzania or Zimbabwe or Rwanda or Uganda chiefly because of its planning and investments in solid infrastructure base If only what the Ndola carriage way is promised to create in Chibombo Kabwe Kapiri and Ndola in infrastructure to support development in economies in those areas the Investment is welcome

    The same is the Rail line opening up Central to Eastern and eventually Mozambique The prospects for Mkushi farmers…

  36. and central province in particular Including Lusaka , copper belt ,eastern province ,northern and Lumwana solwezi will be ever bitter especially for exports of refined resources Look at the Kenya story and the volume of trade now with middle and north Africa

    There are not taking away the project teams simply fast tracking and ensure focus is not lost

    The Good thing is that Moody has seen the potential prospects for Zambia and rated well The long-term can only be rated superlatively if these projects embarked on are completed on cost and time for commercial operation Sha of Moody and his people have done well with their model

  37. Heard the Minister of Transport say 30% of heavy cargo will now have to move by rail. Good but has the railway line been rehabilitated? Prof Chirwa’s plans were shot down by the same greedy government officials.

  38. A few a truths are apparent in the PF government; you have a frustrated workforce that does not subscribe to a leadership that they know is corrupt, a breakdown in the devolution of authority which has been undermined by a corrupt leadership, they started project for which they did not have funding to complete because the interest was more in securing kickbacks that the interest in having the projects completed and need, total lack of resource management skills, politicisation of the development agenda, rank corruption during the execution process, compromised contractor/supervisor relationships, etc, etc. At this stage this Lungu can shout till he is blue in the face, until he cures problems at source all attempts are futile!

  39. When Eric Silwamba once served as Presidential Affairs Minister it looked quite befitting, but now Freedom Sikazwe? He looks lost! It’s like to him making awkward gestures behind the President on camera is the main job description of that office

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading