Government has advised the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Council to expedite the process of signing concessions for the Lusaka-Ndola road project.
Copperbelt Province Permanent Secretary, Augustine Kasongo says that the social-economically road together with Ndola-Mufulira and Mufulira-Mokambo are in very bad state and should be considered as emergencies.
Mr Kasongo says the said roads are in very bad state and hazardous to travelling public.
ZANIS reports that speaking when a team from PPP council called on him in Ndola on Friday, the Permanent Secretary added that concessions for these road projects should be signed as soon as possible to allow for the commencement of works.
“The good people of the Copperbelt are very expectant and want to see these roads especially the Ndola-Mufulira, being done like yesterday.
“ The current state of the aforementioned roads as ‘a hindrance to economic growth’ as movement of goods and services is at a snail’s pace, ” Mr Kasongo said.
The Permanent Secretary also advised the PPP council to ensure that works to modernise Sakania border are fast tracked as those being done on the Congolese side are almost complete.
And team leader, Noel Nkhoma assured the Permanent Secretary that efforts to work on all economic road projects on the Copperbelt have reached advanced levels and that soon concessions will be signed.
Disclosing that all economic roads will be financed under the PPP model, Mr Nkhoma stated that the PPP team has already been to Turkey and Kenya where it learnt how the model is being implemented in those countries.
He said that a lot of progress has been made at Sakania border adding that soon the country will start reaping benefits from the facility.
Mr Nkhoma further disclosed that preparations for the Kasomeno-Mwenda Road project have reached an advanced stage and soon works will be commencing.
