Green Party President Peter Sinkamba has said that Zambia should have given more to African Union For the First SADC Multi-Billion Dollar Wakanda One Village Project.
Commenting on news that neighbouring Zimbabwe has given 2 000 hectares to the project, Mr Sinkamba said that the PF Government needs to review its 132 hectares offer of land for the project. Speaking to journalists in Kitwe this morning, Mr. Sinkamba said Zambia needs an equitable share of the Wakanda investment adding that the hectarage offered by Government is “too petty” for equitable benefits to trickle down from the project.
He reminded Government of the injustice that Zambia suffered at the hands of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland whereby most investments of the Federation ended up on the Zimbabwean side. Mr. Sinkamba said “such injustice should never happen again”.
“You see, when you talk about 132 hectares against the 2,000 offered by Zimbabwe, the offer by Zambia is too petty. The implication is that out of the US$2 billion projected by the AU as investment for the Wakanda project, Zambia may only host a day-care centre and probably a primary school and secondary school. To put the figures in context, the controversial NRDC land is about 300 hectares. So, Zambia has offered land half the size of NRDC land. This means, construction of a university on the offered land size site is out of question?? maybe a day-care centre, primary and secondary school all to cost less than US$100million. Meantime, the teaching hospital, a university and technical college, secondary schools, three five-star hotels, game lodge, pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, agricultural farms and parks will be on the Zimbabwean side. Now, such a scenario is absurd,” he said.
Zimbabwe and Zambia have offered 2,000 and 132 hectares of land respectively around the Victoria Falls area, which borders the two countries, for the construction of the Wakanda One Village.
The project will serve as the first of the project in the Southern African region and will comprise a 100-bed teaching hospital, a university and technical college, primary and secondary schools, day-care centres, three five-star hotels, game lodge, pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, agricultural farms and parks.
The infrastructure will also include a shopping centre, commercial office buildings, renewable power plants, a monorail around the complex and roads ready to support self-driving electric cars.
Zambia made its offer in March and Zimbabwe’s offer was confirmed by African Union Ambassador to the United States of America Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao at the recently held Intra African Trade Fair in Cairo, Egypt.
“I met His Excellency President Mnangagwa recently and he offered us 2000 hectares for the regional Wakanda One Village in Victoria Falls.
The offer comes after the Zambian Government offered some land across the river in Livingstone. We are looking at building a village transcending the borders of the two countries,” she told Zimbabwean journalist Sydney Kawadza in an interview.
The project targets Africans in the diaspora who want to help build the continent to the level they want it to be, Ambassador Chihombori-Quao said earlier this year.
“You know, when you talk about a ‘good Africa’ or returning home, many people say ‘Well, [Africa] is not what I’m used to,’ and to that I always tell them, ‘Then build the home you want,” she said at the launch of the African Diaspora Global Bank.
“We don’t even realize we are on autopilot waiting for the White man to build this ‘civilization’ for us. So we are taking our destiny into our own hands and creating something built for and by the people of the African diaspora,” she added.
The African Union said it will first sensitize the Diaspora before forming an investment board from all the regions of Africa headquartered in Washington DC to manage the fund and decide on the value of shares and conversion factors.
“The establishment of an Investment Board should lead to the opening up of the African Diaspora Savings and Investment Accounts in the four banks. We will also encourage African Diaspora to open individual accounts with a minimum deposit of US$10 a month while the board will decide on the transition to a credit union,” Dr Chihombori-Quao said.
“We are looking at raising at least US$2 billion in the next two years with the first ground breaking set for the end of the year 2020 … We are going to build the Africa that we want so those Diasporans who say I cannot go home because home is not what I am used to will make it what they want,” she added.
Dr. Chihombori-Quao also revealed that Kenya and Tanzania have also pledged land for East Africa’s Wakanda One Village project.
I totally agree with Sinkamba. We reasoned and grounded position on the matter.
These are wasted Lungu years!!
Fictional name, fictional project. Zambia shouldn’t have offered up any land at all. I will not be holding my breath on this one.
What is wrong with leadership???
This is a great idea. I also think Zambia should’ve given more land to this investment project. But then again we have clueless Lungu. So no much hope. If it’s not too late already, Zambia should give more land to this project.
Wakanda nonsense. You think life is a Hollywood movie?
These are failed projects. Kaunda wanted to build Heaven on Earth project which went nowhere. Zambian government acted prudently on this.
it will be financed and built by African Union not by kaunda
Lombe, you have no clue what’s going on. This project is not funded by Zambia..for it to fail. It’s the diaspora, blacks outside Africa with enough money to put into this. And this is not only in Zambia and Zimbabwe, but in other African countries too, including Ethiopia.
And you have Chink PF crooks like AVIC offerring thousands of hectares of Zambian land in exchange for prime NRDC land
You think Chief Mukuni will agree to anything that comes from Edgar. He won’t give a single piece that tribalist.
We are Zambia… we can overrule that… remover your five fingers from your arrrseee
It’s high time the government starts taking over traditional land . Most of it is underutilized
Unless I have no idea how things works in Africa, they will start ama workshops and money will finish on that. I can’t contribute to such a thing.
They would have offered land if they knew they will personally benefit from the project, the fact that they wouldn’t have stolen any money from the project they just didn’t give a fcuk, that’s how thieves think, we are talking about people who were stealing even in their mothers wombs here
Castles and skyscrapers in the air is what this project will be. Fantasy Wakanda that won’t be coming to fruition.
Peter Chikamba is trying to divert attention from the Privatisation Inquiry because Edgar Lungu has been caught pants down!!
As usual, Chikamba who is an ardent or die hard Lungu supporter is trying to divert attention from the fact that it is LUNGU who privatised our assets. HH never worked for the Zambian Govt so how could he have participated in cabinet decisions.
That fat heap of sh.it called Haabazoka is another idyot that has sparked this fo.olishness and made Lungu a real double thief by bringing the privatisation issue he does’t even understand. Fat as he is, he is trying to hibernate in heat of the debate. But we will smoke him out and he will have to answer questions of his motive.
uli kapuba ba Chilyata check your facts well b4 supporting people blindly!
The level of skepticism and pessimism amongst ourselves as Africans is simply cancerous. If this project is not wonderful news for our continent in a time when millions of Africans are hopeless, displaced and in need of humanitarian aid, then I don’t know what it takes to make some people happy.
Coming to the land offered for the project, I think it’s not the size that matters but the how effectively it is put to use. There is always enough room for expansion in future but the most important thing is to get started. So to borrow someone’s words… let’s roll!
What is the meaning of Wakanda ?
Is he comparing to that movie with fictitious images just because it was made by blacks?
#3 Jay Gay: “And you have Chink PF crooks like AVIC offerring thousands of hectares of Zambian land in exchange for prime NRDC land”.
1. And you have Trib.al Hacks grabbing grazing land from poor defenceless villagers, his clan in fact, and no empathy at all.
2. And you have trib.als like Jay Gay seeing nothing wrong at all.
When I say that trib.als are no option to PF, you still doubt me? Just follow the reasoning of Trib.al Jay Gay, same as Trib.al Hacks.
And tell me, how much land is occupied by University of Zambia? For first correct answer reward offered courtesy of Trib.al Hacks.
And what is the noise about, iwe Peter Sinkamba, land for building a fantasy island?
And ask President Mnangagwa whether he can find 2000ha along the Zambezi river. Maybe he means in Chitungwiza.
And who told AU that Zambian diasporeans all want to live along the Zambezi river? What about Mansa, Chipata, Kasama, Kalabo, Itezitezi, and even Dundumwezi etc?
Zambezi gave us the name Zambia so everyone out there who knows our story thinks we all live around the river!
Good idea! Build this city across borders. The Zambia Zimbabwe Botswana Namibia congregation of borders would be ideal so that one can live in all four countries at once. Investors would get attracted for the tourist potential therein
Small minds. Who says you have to live where you invest!
@ADEDOS WAKANDA MEANS WADYAKA AND IN NSENGA WE HAVE A PROVERD ..WAKANDA MATIKA WAMWA BUT SINKAMBA CAN MAKE A GOOD MINISTER OF ECONOMICS
Democracy delays projects, dictatorship best when it comes to projects implementation