North-Western Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Luckson Mulumbi has urged the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees to expedite infrastructure development in the Meheba Resettlement Scheme.
Speaking when a team from the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees paid a courtesy call on him today, Mr Mulumbi said the province has been eagerly awaiting the actual implementation of the Zambia Refugee and Host Community Project, which has already been launched.
He expressed gratitude that the team will be conducting infrastructure needs assessments in the resettlement area but called for swift progress once the assessments are completed.
“Our hope is that after you do these rapid needs assessments, the period between the conclusion of the assessments and the start of actual implementation must not be too wide,” Mr Mulumbi said.
He further stressed that the quality and detail of the infrastructure should not be compromised once construction begins.
Meanwhile, Zambia Refugee and Host Community Project Coordinator Hezron Chakanika said the project aims to improve the welfare of both refugees and the host community.
Mr Chakanika explained that infrastructure development is one of the project’s key components.
“We have a team that will be assessing the schools as well as the hospitals that we are going to improve. The original target is six schools, three in Meheba and three in the host communities,” Mr Chakanika said.
