Government says more than two million jobs are expected to be created through the US$5 billion Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme joint project between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Minister of Energy Mathew Nkhuwa says the 2,400 Mega Watts power project between the two countries was expected to create 2, 450, 000 jobs because of the economic impact expected to arise from increasing access for both industrial and domestic use.
Mr. Nkhuwa explained that 1,185 direct jobs would be created, while 552 indirect jobs would be created by suppliers of goods and services and 1,070 induced jobs would be created by the spending of direct and indirect workers.
“The project is critical to the development of both Zambia and Zimbabwe and the SADC region. It has been chosen as one of the priority projects under NEPAD and as such has been given a continental status as well as a regional priority under SADC due to the economic impact it is set to have on the region,” he said.
Mr. Nkhuwa said this in a communiqué following the 36th Council of Ministers Meeting of the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) at Elephant Hills Hotel in Victoria Falls town, Zimbabwe.
The Energy Minister who was accompanied by his Finance counterpart Margaret Mwanakatwe, said the two countries were in the process of assessing ways of empowering and equipping local industries.
He said this is meant to ensure that most of the raw materials like cement and steel, which are major inputs into the construction of the project, were produced locally in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“This implies that the project will not export jobs but retain the jobs in the region as well as promoting the establishment of new industries and help in the resuscitation of other industries,” he said.
And Mr. Nkhuwa said tremendous progress had been made on the Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project and the Contractor was set to be on site by the first quarter of 2019.
“In particular, the plunge pool reshaping works contractor has advanced with works and the spillway refurbishment works tender process is nearly complete and the Contractor will mobilise to site by the first quarter of 2019,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers were happy with positive impact by the Zambezi River Authority’s corporate social responsibility initiatives on communities displaced by the Kariba Dam Project.
More than ten projects were implemented for the enhancement of access to education, water supply and health services and these include Hamatuba Health Post in Gwembe, Nang’amba Weir in Sinazongwe in Zambia and Chiroti Health Post in Hurungwe and Chikango Primary School in Gokwe North, in Zimbabwe.
Seven more projects are scheduled for implementation under the corporate social responsibility programs in 2019.
The communiqué was signed by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Energy and Power Development Dr Joram Gumbo who is also Chairman of the Council of Ministers; Zambia’s Energy Minister Matthew Nkhuwa who is also co-chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Finance counterparts Professor Mthuli Ncube of Zimbabwe and Zambia’s Margaret Mwanakatwe.
The Batoka Gorge Hydro-Electric Scheme Project was conceived in 1972 out of a study instituted by the predecessor of Zambezi River Authority, (Central African Power Corporation).
2 million Chinese jobs. Knowing how corrupt Lungu is, the project will be given to tu ma chinese who will bring in 2 million of their prisoners to work for free.
Just look at the roads contractors. Even water-tanker drivers are chinese. Locals are only employed as Flag Men to direct traffic. The wage is modern-day slavery. The insults & abuse from chinese bosses is shocking.
The loan money will never be taxed & will never touch local bank accounts. All the supplies & equipment will be brought in from china.
Kekekeke, and the ConCourt ruled that PF deserve 3rd term?
They can’t count even number of terms there president has saved, how can they count jobs?
2 million jobs.
Ba LT; Either you misunderstood the minister or your numbers in the article are erroneous because they simply don’t add up. If it’s true that 2 million jobs will be created, then am very happy for our region.
This is however very bad news for Kalusa.
Madness all I can say. Hey its Zambia and its home. Every one has had a speeding mad driver on a bus or a good one and happy to get home. As long as the country is there, that’s all I care. Guess times to know. Cheers
Let’s roll …
In response to 1.2, This is not bad news for Mr. Kalusa. The conception of Kariba Extension was done in bad faith, accord to Mr. Kalusa, which is good new; so that that mistake would avoided in future. 1400MW is the original designed capacity of Kariba Dam (water), running 24 hours per day, yearly, not to overload the dam (taking more water than permitted by the design). Now, Kariba Dam has been overloaded by 700MW. The current installed capacity is about 2100MW. So, Mr. Kalusa was saying that the information passed to Zambians about load shedding was incorrect. And that in future professionals should be making decisions, not non-professionals where to site generating stations whenever the government of the day decide to build a generating station.
2 million jobs! That’s a lie. When the mines are thriving they don’t hit 2 million jobs
The numbers dont come to 2 million…Just do your mathematics bwana Editor…
1,185 + 552 + 1,070 = 2,807
WHERE IS THE 2 MILLION FIGURE COMING FROM? PLEASE ASK THE REPORTER TO CORRECT HIS OR HER STORY
Thats the problem of depending on fake media. You can access znbc for credible news even overseas. Muleishiba utuntu.
What do you expect from riggers, 5000 votes where there are 2000 registered voters. They forgot it’s the economy, you can’t rig it.
Dead NBC is worse. It will exaggerate to 20 million because it wants to impress his masters
Two million jobs for $5bn project sounds over optimistic.Materials ,turbines and machinery will consume over half then design works ,contractors,transport costs and engineers will eat up the rest leaving crumbs for Zambian tu ma village contractors.
Chinese will own this “Zambian” project but how does 2700 jobs turn into 2million jobs ?
It is NOT the Project construction jobs that the Minister was talking about, but what 2,400 MW will bring to the region.
Simple maths doesn’t seem to add up. I think the jobs to be created are in the 2000.
Must be thousands not 2million mwebantu…..lets improve in our reporting or is it that lying has now become a part of online reporting thinking that’s when people will get enticed to read???it’s actually doing the opposite to some of us….we not believing in whatever you write coz our brain polygraph sensors will burst in trying to proof lie your write ups…..
Ask those who know how? If you do not know how to estimate jobs from a given project ask those who know that is wisdom. Pretending to know it all is embarrassing.
Hallucinations at its highest???
1972 to present is 46 years! I hope we didn’t copy and paste from the past but changed the paradigm of the project whole together.
Why are we people from dundumwezi so shallow?
Kkkkkkkkkkkk ati 2million, what!!! How? Your must be crazy!!!!!
Where on earth did one project create 2 million jobs?
I think 2 million megawatts was the president’s prediction from this generator also. Ifintu ni masamu
The project should have been in existence by now. I thank you guys because now you’re thinking better. You guys where blaming God that we did not have enough rains for the worst load shed experienced in the history of Zambia. Had Batoka done, we could have had about 300MW or less deficit. That means the impact of load shedding would have been minimum. MMD Government and PF Government in the first 4 years invested 360MW Kariba North Bank Extension power unwisely. This plant is just a White Elephant which cost us the load shedding. Building a 360MW Peaking Plant at Kariba, to be run 2hrs – 4 hrs. a day or at peak time was the waste of resources and time, knowing that the original design loading of Kariba Dam is 1400MW.
Still waiting for the promised 500000 jobs. Now you have forgotten those and jumped to 2000000 jobs? So when these don’t materialize you will announce another project promising now 5000000 jobs.
To Sharon, Nubian Princess and Kudos, 2000 jobs are 2 million ones. And these 3 are PFs best bloggers, who dont even know how to count. Maybe they mean 2 million jobs REBASED to 2000 as they did with the valueless kwacha ngwee!!!!! There is real drama pa ZED. Even ZIM is far much better.
The exaggeration in Africa is really embarrassing to say the least. 2 million jobs my @$s… you will be luck to reach 1000 jobs with that tiny project. Maybe if you mean the number of people who may benefit from the project once completed or who be impacted by the project, either directly or indirectly. Please stop this n0nsense of inflating numbers just to appease to your egos.
Compare this to the $50 billion Australian submarine program to build 12 submarines… it was estimated to create 2,800 (two thousand eight hundred) jobs, nationwide in the next decades to come (maybe decades or so) – that number includes everyone not just those who are directly employed. Google: “how many jobs will be created by Australia submarine program”.
That’s what I’m saying you will be luck…
That’s what I’m saying you will be luck with creating 1000 jobs here nationwide.
This kind of alarm and lying should have consequences.