President Edgar Lungu has directed the Road Development Agency (RDA) to carry out a review of all contracts signed between foreign contractors and local contractors and ensure strict compliance with the 20 percent subcontract policy.
Speaking on Friday afternoon when he engaged the media at State House, the Head of State said he expects a detailed report within 14 days.
President Lungu emphasized that the 20 percent subcontract policy is intended to create capacity building and empower local contractors.
“Conversely, since the enactment of the National Construction Council Act of 2003, we have made great strides in ensuring that local contractors are empowered through the full implementation of the 20 percent subcontract policy,” said the Head of State.
“It has been observed that there is no problem with contracts signed between the government and foreign contractors yet there is a problem with contracts signed between foreign contractors and subcontractors in respect to rates applied, which are much lower for subcontractors.”
President Lungu stated that more importantly, scope of works for local contractors are only on drainages and road markings.
He noted that this has resulted in very limited skills transfer.
“Added to this, construction materials are procured at very high cost from the same foreign contractors,” said President Lungu.
Yawn, doubt that he understands the complexities of what he is talking about. If he did understand even a quarter why is the economy on its death bed?
Skills transfer must go to a ready mind.
Those quick fix contractors that aim at Government contracts usually have stone heads and do it for the love of money.
There is obviously some bug in the 20% Subcontracting policy.
Like FISP and Ghost working Civil Servants (CS), fish out all Cabinet Exposed Persons (CEPS) and other PEPs from the system, then you will have sanity.
But obviously the framework and structure of the 20% Subcontracting policy can as well be deemed political.
Can someone draft a sketch that demonstrates how the awarding of contacts is done? Are people sensitized? Who is supposed to sensitize them?
The genesis of Zambia’s mighty corruption adventure
Zambian President Michael Sata launched a multi-billion dollar road project dubbed Link Zambia-8000 which he will personally supervise, prompting fears of corruption in awarding contracts.
The ambitious road project will cost about K27 trillion and is intended to connect outlying areas of Zambia to all the 10 provinces which will also boost interlink trade.
Inside trading in President Sata’s government which has seen his nephew Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba grab a huge chunk of government contracts and his close allies is rife.
President Sata announced his office will take over the Road Development Agency from the Ministry of Transport, Communications, Works and Supply in order for him to supervise all road projects.
I am glad the tribal privatisation thief was not given any contract.
Kindly also consider attaching our so called Civil Engineering graduating fraternity to projects under this so called 20% for proactive practical skills tranfer. Attach these young Engineers to foreign Investor awarded projects to detouch our graduating Engineers from the theory mentality syndrome.
I yell at Engineers, some people say you – Government don’t empower them.
55 years of independence, characters can’t pragmatically construct a simple suspension bridge.
We can’t be using pontoons at this stage.
Ba Present you are 100% right but am still wondering why this had to take this long for you to realise! I feel this same way on the issue of political cadars being removed from the markets and bus stations only now!
2 things seems to bother me about this: 1. Are these political decisions meant to better chances at the polls in just over a year from now? 2. Do we really better advisors at plot 1 or we have those people for cheer leaders?
Now, should our people continue to suffer in broad daylight till a “Kankara brave person” says enough is enough? Dear, Mr. President, there are more issues we are going through including the ministers and MPs competing with us in tendering for works while in the background they twist arms to favour their companies. Please, my president, go deeper.
What is this myth called skills transfer kanshi mwe bantu? Send people to Skills Centers, teach them to work with their hands, apprentice them and let them come to maturity in that process. People coming to make money for themselves will NOT transfer ANY SKILLS. Mwe fipumbu mwe!
If he means what he said,let him come and read comments from this site.He will plenty suggestions and guidance on how to find a solution!!But like they say,”Too little,too late”!
So by definition a policy is supposed to be a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual in this case, its Government under the line Ministry.
This subcontracting policy issue is like a recurring stiffneck.
There must be a lot of chewers before the final contractor chews, players in between confuse the foreign contractor. Pleas Please it’s not difficult to locate corrupt bottlenecks in the system.
Like I said with little watching/scrutiny from NCC, every jim and jack these days is a contractor.
Another directive, dear lord!
Is this when he is waking up or sobering up? What are his ministers doing if all the time the president has to chip in to do their jobs. Sir seriously scrutinize your ministers you are carrying a lot of deadweight in cabinet.
People don’t care about those contracts that your friends in government keep getting ahead of the private citizens. If you want proof just ask sturdy Mwale. People want a directive from you ordering the ministers to pay back salaries they illegally got. Give detectives to have pensioners paid what is owed to them, give directive to have an inquiry over the fire trucks. The caders you want out of the market defy you, up to now nothing concrete has come out of the 48 miracle houses despite you giving a directive that just shows who the boss is in the PF and sadly that is not you sir. You act as if you are held at ransom by party caders and ministers alike. Sir break lose off those chains and act like the leader people elected.
BUKABWALALA CHABE, BA J0N4!!
Giving praise singers, vuvuzela’s & stormtroopers like Sturdy Mwale contacts, & paying them a HUGE fortune in scarce Taxpayers funds, before they even lift a corrupt finger to do the job, just so they can endorse you for 2021.
J0N@, YOU HAVE LAMENTABLY FAILED TO GOVERN. GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN, ITS TOO HOT FOR YOUR ALCOHOL SODDEN BODY!
Won’t make much difference now the Eurobonds and depleted ,
this action should have been looked at 5 years ago instead you were busy dancing spontaneously on runways and in churches.
Every thing now hinges on good rains for food security but this will wash away those substandard roads, we expect a 40% wash away of new roads should we have good rains
20% for cadre for friends that’s all he cares about
Why not change the time for load shedding. If you really feel for your brother’s and sisters. Let load shedding be done at night, or half day so that people can at least do business.
As if Zambians are so stupid that they will have forgotten the many years of poor governance under this party. Isn’t it rather strange that suddenly the president is throwing out this tsunami of directives just before the general elections? Where has he been all these years when state assets have been squandered by his own party? Zambians are supposed to celebrate last minute patch ups which may not even be up to good standard!! Quick and cheap fixes just to win votes ati ba President built us this road and he bought us a bus, he donated a generator etc. Just sticking plasters here and there and nothing long term!! Fraud !!
CONTRACTS FOR C@DRES!!
Bukabw@l@la chabe’.
Contacts given to Goon’z, cheerleaders, & vuvuzela’s like 2turdy Mw@le, who are paid A HUGE FORTUNE in scarce Taxpayers funds, before they even lift a corrupt finger to do the job, as long as they shout J0N4 for 2021.
Get out of the Kitchen baJon4 if you can’t stand the heat.
Useless directives from a useless man. #koswe mu mpoto.
Crocodile tears.
People are suffering and we are busy laughing at them. Lets be serious with loadshedding. People are dying of hunger now.
Disaster!!!!
The development which the Pf dreamt of has been undermined by lack of capacity, lack of transparency, exclusiveness and lack of prudency.
The the borrowed money has been plundered by foreigners and cadres competing to become rich. Had Pf emerged above a partisan agenda, the reckless and blind borrowing could have at least ensured we have energy and food security. Our economy has been dwindling despite the massive borrowed money injected into the economy proving that a large portion of this money has been stolen. Lungu could have detected these discrepancies long ago had he not been part of the grand corruption.