Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Chipoka Mulenga says Kasama District in Northern Province is strategically positioned to drive economic development and regional integration.
Mr, Mulenga has pledged government’s commitment to improving infrastructure in the district, noting that its location makes it a central hub for business, logistics, tourism, and cross-border transactions.
The minister said this in an interview with the media in Kasama.
“Kasama is earmarked for growth, that I can assure you. Our focus as government is to declare this area as a city, and to do this it needs all the necessary infrastructure developments. We are committed to bringing more development,” he said.
He explained that the completion of Kasama Airport was prioritised to enhance accessibility and boost tourism and that more infrastructure development is coming.
“Number one, we needed to make the town reachable even by air. The second priority was to enhance the tourism sector by completing the airport whose works had stalled for some time. This has improved the inflow of tourists,” he said.
Mr, Mulenga revealed that several projects have been undertaken in the last four years, including the construction of shopping facilities, through NAPSA, a star-rated hotel known as the Urban Hotel, and a shopping mall.
“We have gone an extra mile to support the construction of the star-rated Urban Hotel. The government, through the Workers Compensation Fund, partnered to build a shopping mall. These are some of the infrastructure projects we have worked on to make sure Kasama, not only being the provincial headquarters, becomes a hub linking other districts and neighbouring countries such as Tanzania,” Mr. Mulenga said.
He further pointed to the natural attractions in Northern Province, saying infrastructure development is key to unlocking tourism potential.
“Look at the many waterfalls that the province is endowed with. To promote this, we need infrastructure to be domiciled here,” he said.
“Kasama is strategically positioned for economic development, and we are committed to making it a city,” he added.
Mr Mulenga stressed that the government’s vision is to transform Kasama into a central logistical meeting point for surrounding districts and beyond.
