Friday, March 29, 2024

President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India launch $289 million project to decongest Lusaka roads

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President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads

President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads at a cost of 289 Million US Dollars.

At a ground-breaking ceremony in Chilanga District, Lusaka Province, President Lungu says the decongestion of Lusaka roads is the biggest government to government cooperation project.

The Head of State says the PF Government has shown commitment towards decongesting Lusaka through other road projects such as the L400.

He says Zambia is positioning itself well to become a transport hub for the SADC region especially through the expansion of roads and creation of ring roads.

President Lungu says the people of Zambia did not misplace their confidence in the Patriotic Front- PF as it has proven hard work.

He has since praised Export and Import- EXIM Bank of India and the contractors AFCOMS and Shapoorji Pallonji for the commitment towards the project.

And President of the Republic of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind says development cooperation is key in India’s economic diplomacy.

President Kovind says he is happy to be part of the launch of the historic project in Chilanga as congestion results in loss of man hours and productivity.

He says he is confident that the project is a landmark symbol of the enhancement of the already existing friendship between India and Zambia.

Earlier, Local Government Minister Vincent Mwale says the project is a landmark move to improve motorised mobility in urban areas.

Mr. Mwale has since urged Zambians to continue supporting President Lungu as he has put great effort to improve the lives of the Zambian people.

Meanwhile, Housing and Infrastructure Development Minister Ronald Chitotela has assured the nation of quality works.

He says the local people will also have to be empowered through the 20 percent reserved for Zambian contractors.

And Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo says people in his Province are excited over the roads project.

The Republican President of India has since left for Livingstone to appreciate the natural wonder of the world, the Victoria Falls.

The three day State Visit ends today as he is expected to leave Zambia this evening.

President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads
President Edgar Lungu and visiting President of India Shri Ram Nati Kovind today launched works to decongest Lusaka roads

77 COMMENTS

  1. Where and when did Edgar loose it with Zambians?
    This guy would have been made a good president. Manjeeee…

    • Corruption allegations that he has not bothered denying have stuck and have had a cumulative effect…..no leader can be constantly called a corrupt theif and they remain silent….hoping the allegations to fade away..

    • Credit where due.

      Being in Lusaka and stuck in that traffic I’m told is like wasting your life.

      There are too many cars and certainly not enough roads.

      Onwards and upwards.

      Thanks

      BB2014,2016

    • Pf has now found itself in whats called “knicker knots”

      ” This is also a test on the Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini who in 2012 allowed the motion to remove the Presidential immunity of Rupiah Banda despite the action being challenged in court.In his ruling on that day,the speaker said court processes have no bearing on parliamentary motions as the removal of immunity is parliamentary and not judicial business.Here we are also saying the impeachment process is a parliamentary and not Court process.Matibini declared the Chilanga seat vacant despite knowing very well that Keith Mukata had appealed against the conviction and sentencing.This is also a test on the Speaker on how he is going to entertain this wanton abuse of institutions of governance by the PF when he…

    • Mr President EL tell us your Background, Well, I was born in 1953 at Ndola central Hospital, Then i went to Mukuba secondary school.
      What a gap, Where is your Primary School, Or your Teachers, Or your Primary Class mates ?
      Where are your neighbours in Ndola, Your Childhood friends ?
      Where are your father`s work mates or associates, Where is your village ?

      Zambia wake up your are being ruled by a FRAUD. EL has lied to his employers and broken the constitution, He should resign and be arrested. PERIOD

      ARREST THIS FRADUSTER

    • Visiting foreign dignitaries are able to see a gaping need to which our own leaders are oblivious.

    • Lungu looks to have a heavy hungover. Seems he did a lot of whiskeys last night. Sometimes makes me wonder how Zambian leadership think. INDIA helping to decongest Lusaka roads? WE ARE JOKING, right? Have you been to India and see How congested and dirty their cities are?? So what will they do for Zambia which they have failed in their own Country??
      Joke of the Day!!! “It’s like Telling a Monkey to Keep safe my Groundnuts.”

    • THE PRINCE – look at it from Indian business point of view…most of that money is paid back to their Indian contractor and usage of their own skilled labour plus value addition to their economy is pricelessto top it up the docile foolish Zambians payback their money with interest.

    • THE PRINCE – look at it from Indian business point of view…most of that money is paid back to their Indian contractor and usage of their own skilled labour plus value addition to their economy is priceless to top it up the docile fooooolish Zambians payback their money with interest.

    • Was holding my breath for this to happen. Thank God momentum towards implementing economically viable projects is picking up again. This is what politics should be about, uplifting lives of people. I see face of Lusaka changing for the better in very big way the next 3 years. The face of Zambia is also changing positively. This should be goal of every politician given the resources we have as a country. Im so looking forward. God Bless Zambia

    • Aerial Pictorial Rendition of the project/roads so people can see how Lusaka will look differently after the project is finished would greatly be appreciated by people. Surely, we do have Zambians with Computer Graphics skills who can do this kind of work. This would visually enhance people’s understanding of what exactly this money is being spent on and the improvements to look forward to.

      I am pretty sure if people can see pictorially, in advance, where their money is going even accusations of corruption will be minimized. This can be put up on Billbards for a time for a everybody to see, instead of “ugly” politicians’ faces all the time. I have seen this sorts of campaigns done here in America as part of the transparency idiology by the govt. Sometimes even accompanied by these…

    • Continue…

      these words: “YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK.” Because that’s exactly what this money is….NOT from any politician!

      This also helps to hold leadership accountable by the public if the project turns out to be not what was promised….THEY SAY A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.

      Anyway, time to work Zambia!

    • So the NEWS has reached India that there’s a STYOPET MALAWIAN DRUNKARD in a country somewhere in Africa, busy indebting Zambian citizens with $-Billion through STYOPET LOANS for White-Elephant projects, as long as you bribe him. How do you think Kaizer Zulu can afford a Rolex?

      – The job will be awarded to an Indian company
      – Management will be Indians
      – Labourers will be brought in from India
      – Equipment will bought in India
      – Expertise won’t be transferred to locals. Instead the Indian company will fight for more tenders at the expense of our local construction companies.

      Why not invest $289Million into ZAMEFA to prevent export of raw copper & produce more copper cables & pipes, start production of copper products like copper pots & pans etc? It would create real jobs,…

    • CONT’D
      It would create real jobs, substitute imports, prevent tax evasion by mining companies who under-value exports etc.

    • How does this cooperation thing work… I may not be privy to all details but I feel as Africans we need to rethink our investment strategy. To me it seems like India identified an opportunity for their bank EXIM to loan us money for the road project and empower AFCOMS and Shapoorji Pallonji their road construction companies (only 20% for Zambians – of course Zambian of Indian origin) to do the works. It’s not only Indians, Chinese and many others do the same. Please educate me, does it work for us or we are actually empowering them in another way?

  2. More loans from India. Everything is about Lusaka, Is Lusaka only place that deserve development in Zambia? You are so sickening

    • Have you ever driven on Lusaka roads at rush hour from town to Airport?
      I am surprised this has not been funded by GRZ…there is absolutely no value transfer or addition with these type of loan facilities like EXIM bank loans to the local construction sector.

    • THIS IS ANOTHER USELESS EXPENSIVE PROJECT THAT IS ADDING NO VALUE TO THE COUNTRY. WE NEED ECONOMIC ROADS LIKE LINKING ZAMBIA TO ANGOLA. SOLWEZI-CHINGOLA ROAD REMAIN UNDONE. THE BEST WAY TO DIGECONGEST LUSAKA IS TO INDUSTRIALIZE THE PROVINCES SO THAT PEOPLE CAN MOVE FROM LUSAKA TO THE PROVINCES WHERE OPPORTUNITY WOULD BE CREATED.

    • Matokwani I was wondering about this sentence in the story: He says Zambia is positioning itself well to become a transport hub for the SADC region especially through the expansion of roads and creation of ring roads.
      Zambia? Really Zambia?
      Isnt it supposed to be: “He says Lusaka is positioning itself well to become a transport…fimo fimo”
      Thats the way I see it

    • MUNSHA KIMBALA – there are so many ways to decongesting Lusaka by encouraging flexible hours starters and demolition those outdated flyover bridges.

  3. China’s engagement in Africa in 2018 is $60 billion. India is shaken, because unlike the Indians, the Chinese actually build infrastructure you can actually see and put to use. Look at Kenya and Ethiopia’s SGR rail networks. Anyway, I hope Zambian government knows how to play these Indians for every dollar they shall invest. Their children have robbed Africa and Zambia long enough.

    • You have a beggar’s mindset …for you its a case of who is giving you more not how much you are going to payback..always bootlicking the Chines; why don’t you move to China and see how they treat your people like monkeys…let’s see how you will suck up to them then!!!

  4. “He has since praised Export and Import- EXIM Bank of India and the contractors AFCOMS and Shapoorji Pallonji for the commitment towards the project.”
    This is another ill-thought out procured EXIM loan worth over close to $300m with GRZ shameless contributing less than 20%…surely who are you trying to cheat by stating that local people will also have to be empowered through the 20 percent reserved for Zambian contractors…really laughable when the main contractor is already chosen, what is there for local contractor? Sleeping the road and digging…since this is first type of road in Zambia.
    Only a fooool who doesn’t know how an EXIM Bank loan would be cheated by such nonsense..

  5. … Thoughts from DR CM indeed transposed me in years past and found the following “Comment is free, but facts are sacred.” It is from an editorial by the editor of the British newspaper Guardian, C.P Scott, written in 1921 to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the paper… Great developmental project for Mother Zambia to de-congest particularly the lusaka city … How i wait to see the actuality… bravo to all

  6. A good development but I was expecting to read more on project plans and lay out.

    Decongestation does not only mean construction of more parking lots and highways but also strict regulations on motor vehicle registration to avoid excessive traffic in the city.

  7. Is this name
    “…to decongest Lusaka roads…”
    Another looting stunt by lungu and PF ? Like the much used
    ” Lusaka water and sanitation….”
    scam that saw them borrowing totals of $800 million at different times for the same project ????

    Am am sure I have been hearing this same decongestion story a few times followed by millions of dollars borrowed….

  8. “ONLY ATONGA MUST LEAD UPND” Says Sejani. This is sad news to the tribal cult UPND which is allergic to development. I’m pretty sure it will throw them into a depression from which they will struggle to recover. Edgar Lungu has scored a hat trick on this one and I personally give him a pat on his shoulders. For sure Lusaka needs to be decongested with state of art road network. Some of us do avoid driving through the town Centre during rush hours for fear of being jammed in the traffic web. When this materializes we patriotic Zambians will be proud and smiling but the tribal cult. 2021 PF nafuti nafuti.

  9. $289 million can be raised by proper management of public resources and reducing expenditure. We don’t really need someone to do it for us.Therefore, this is not news.I know you will argue that there will be job creation. Yes, we can created jobs too if we fund the project and there will be no conditions to the fund.

  10. What is wrong with you? Lazy bum polygamist father who begat a tribal child with psychological problems ended up being given a job by a tribal party as a hooligan and bully-in-chief with his vice HaS, to bully the sane, the hard-working and the nation! It projects the mistreatment it had and the love it never had on the Zambian people who are working hard to change Zambia! “Corruption?” Delusion! HH is corrupt and wants to sell Zambia but it is unelectable!

  11. UPND is a disease! A cancer! Well-done Mr. President! Keep working and pointing at the success! Namwala is full of hatred and bitter people! Dept of HaTribes and tribal groupings!

  12. “Only a Tonga can be President of UPND, and you are not Tonga,” someone talking to his tribal cousin! If UPND cannot even think those who vote for them emasse outside their tribal region cannot even be voted for for the post of presidency, then you know that this cancerous cult is a tribal grouping bent on destroying the strong fabric of our nation and our motto of “One Zambia One Nation!”

  13. Even your lazy bum polygamous father did one thing right but made a mistake of paying attention to other wives! You think the president “ALWAYS” is not right? Was your polygamist father ALWAYS wrong? You are mental cases and need to go to Chainama! UPND is a damaged goods party! We will make sure that a tribal grouping will go nowhere in Zambia!

  14. He lost it to Tongas and their cousins not because he did, but because he was born outside your grouping! Got it Nose demon?

  15. Ba mu kolwe nga bafula tabu cha bwangu, in Zambias case kulya po bamo. Seems every Jim and Jack in Zambia can comment on anything. We will never get anywhere with some of the comments on this blog, more especially comments from persons hiding their real names, full of hatred pathetic. Imagine the fact that under the one party system people were more united, but under plural politics people get divided. It is failure to understand what democracy is about, which is a shame

    It is the problem with most us Zambians in the sense that we want to show we know better than others. There are bloggers on this site who post very progressive posts, on the other hand we some who are always criticizing. Criticizing is okay if one offers solutions and to be frank I have not come across many of these…

    • You think you are on Facebook….how can you accuse people of hiding when there is have no request to provide our real names…I mean how long have you been blogging, of what importance is someone’s name to you? Are you looking for penpals or relatives on this forum..

    • JJ

      As BR mumba would put it…”..the clever people of the Zambian enterprise…” like to put names to faces to tribes…

  16. Cont….
    Criticizing is okay if one offers solutions and to be frank I have not come across many of these
    If we have to move forward as a country we need to look at ourselves critically and ask ourselves whether we are really serious with what we are writing about
    Politics of hatred and recovering of money spent on campaigns should not be a problem for the rest of the Zambians. No Zambian forced anybody to join politics, spend your money, lose every time and become desperate
    Let us debate the real issues instead of this foolish character assassination

    • This is one is a naive tool to how powerful the internet is…a simple google search of his name I can tell you which local team he supports and his Facebook comments

  17. Sharon just enjoy your loot with your foreigner president, the people thought the guy would care for them, but he has turned into a disappointment, this sounds so good on paper but the reality is that the roads and stuff ECL cheated the people with is falling apart or not materializing, your party are failing badly and when confronted you resort to insulting people and tribes. Don’t you know about Darwinism you came from the same human and you insulting another tribe might result in bad luck for you as you will be cursing where you came from.

  18. Please can we have more info on what roads will be built with this facility? Why give room for doubting Thomases to start telling us you’ll only manage to build a 10 kilometer road with all that amount??

  19. I can imagine how sad and bitter HH is after the launch of this massive project in Lusaka by ECL!!i remember too well how “sonta apowabomba slogan ” killed Kainde in 2016!!!in Kabwata almost all roads were tarred by PF and indeed Kabwata residents gave PF a huge victory!!WHAT WILL HH TELL US IN 2021 AFTER THIS PROJECT IS COMPLETED BY PF GOVNT?kekekekekeke…Ukose Kainde!!!INDEED “ECL” IS A CHOSEN ONE AS THINGS KEEP ON GETTING BETTER AND BETTER FOR HIM!!!
    Bye bye Kainde from the political arena as your record 6th defeat in 2021 will force you to turn upnd into a terror group!!
    COME 2021 NI PF NAFUTI NAFUTI!!!

  20. Well done President Lungu and PF and please let the Lusaka -Ndola dual-carriageway and the much awaited C400 on the Copperbelt begin. In rhe meantime other critical development infrastructure in all our strongholds continue at an accelerated pace, these were our campaign promises that we are fulfilling and come 2021, our people yet again will remember us and give President Lungu and the PF another resounding victory no doubt.

  21. Decongest the roads? Simple. Here are three ideas.

    1) Turn the most congested roundabouts into proper junctions – with slip roads for turning left.
    2) Arrest all mini-bus drivers who stop in the middle of the road or other non-designated place causing jams.
    3) Ban mini-buses and reintroduce large city buses with proper routes and stops. Since GRZ failed with bus routes before, this time go for private companies.

  22. January 10, 2017 … That’s when this loan was obtained.

    “THE Indian Government has given Zambia US$286 million for infrastructure development to de-congest Lusaka City, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development Ronald Chitotela has said.”

    The debate we should be engaged in, for me, is three pronged; i) We seem to be always borrowing for roads and ‘infrastructure’. This means more and more debt. Where are the local resources? ii) Are we planning all these roads in relation to economic benefits that will trickle down to the people? iii) Is Zambia, Lusaka? There are numerous rural settings with roads and infrastructures that look the same as they did in the 70’s. You would think you are in a different country. How about investing in feeder roads and industries in ‘far…

  23. Kenya is investing 4$billions into rail networks and freeways to ease movement into,around and outta Nairobi while this visionless chakolwa invests just $289m for Lusaka?

  24. Any PF plan regarding development in Zambia is inherently corrupt, as Jameson Malawan Lungu has an insatiable appetite to loot, and the courts have been paralyzed by his puric cholera bacteria. But recognition of this scum of Zambia is not a justification for denial.

  25. Why does Lungu’s face always look so puffy? I just hope it’s not another case of dying in Office awaiting us. And the area around his mouth plus the dental formular itself look very medieval, just what the hell is wrong with this Malawan?

    • It is simply a loan that they gave us. And it is our children who will have to pay back and feel the pinch.

  26. Indian doctor just go heal thyself 1st ,Mumbai is a mess of human + vehicle traffic ,messy unplanned slums and vendors on the railway lines.

  27. Building more roads can help solve the problem of congestion to a certain extent but it is not a permanent solution. Make public transport the most preferred mode of transport. That’s the best solution. Go the Japanese way!

  28. more loans!!! bah guys at least go with the japanese contractors they will get the road done look at the road the built in luska

  29. We shouldn’t skeptical for every development that comes to our country. Lets us give credit were it is due. We may not see any sense in most of the projects but in future your children and grand children will be the ones enjoying. In our country Zambia, too much PHD (Pill Him Down). A Prophet is not honored in his home country.

    • “in future your children and grand children will be the ones enjoying.”

      Marubbish! They will be the ones PAYING BACK ALL THE MONEY stolen by Lungu and his fellow THIEVES!

      The roads will not be there or they will have collapsed completely. Nothing to “enjoy” except poverty!

  30. Mwenye ni Mwenye. You will never get money off an Indian hand, Period. They will bring to Zambia half a billion Indians to work on those roads and ensure no single cent is given to Zambian employees.

    My suggestion is that we should pay our contribution in kind by supplying Chilli to India.

    There is a “no chilli no food” policy in India and so no one can satisfy the Chilli market in that Country.

  31. The Indian President had a good reason to come, it’s not easy for a 3rd world country to lend another such a colossal amount of money. KCM money is now coming back as a loan. When I said most Indians are dishonest somebody argued with me. Now you will see what it means to drive on a road funded by Indians, don’t say you weren’t told

  32. This where African leaders are not getting it when it comes to foreign investment especially when dealing with Indians and Chinese. Look at this:

    FUNDING of $ 289 million (Export and Import- EXIM Bank of India ) from INDIA
    CONTRACTORS (AFCOMS and Shapoorji Pallonji ) from INDIA
    MONEY received from the Contract goes back to INDIA
    And ZAMBIA remains with a HUGE DEBT.

    Same with Chinese funding

    FUNDING of $ 1.2 billion for construction of Ndola Lusaka carriageway from CHINA (Export Import Bank of China)
    CONTRACTORS (AVIC International, Sino Hydro ) from CHINA
    MONEY received from the Contract goes back to CHINA
    And ZAMBIA remains with HUGE DEBT.

    Lets open our eyes Zambians. These loans do not even hit out treasury before they are spent. If funding comes from China or India,…

    • Its utter stupidity of the highest order …I wonder why that Lazy Lungu is smiling in that photo as such loans would never be tolerated in Europe as its of no value to their sectors or their economy …am sure the pre cast concrete pillars are being cast in India. It really pains me…its like getting a loan from a bank from your bank to extend your house and your bank uses its contractors, project managers or you do is sit back and watch like a fool or an payback with interest…when they are finished they live, can you tell me what you can learn from this interaction about project management or construction?

    • Its utter stupiidity of the highest order …I wonder why that Lazy Lungu is smiling in that photo as such loans would never be tolerated in Europe as its of no value to their sectors or their economy …am sure the pre cast concrete pillars are being cast in India. It really pains me…its like getting a loan from a bank from your bank to extend your house and your bank uses its contractors, project managers or you do is sit back and watch like a fooool or an payback with interest…when they are finished they live, can you tell me what you can learn from this interaction about project management or construction?

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