The University of Zambia has entered into an agreement with Gifu University to ensure sustainable human capital development in the road sector in Zambia and the region.
The agreement was entered into on 30th January 2019 at Gifu University in Japan. The cooperation agreement will be implemented mainly by the Faculty of Engineering from Gifu University and the School of Engineering at the University of Zambia.
University of Zambia Vice Chancellor Professor Luke Mumba explained that most of the Bridge Infrastructure in Zambia was built in the 1970s but that structural monitoring and assessment skills had been limited resulting in decision making on bridge management mainly being based on subjective visual Inspections. He added that this agreement would address the skills gaps through sharing of technology and technical skills, joint research, student and staff exchange.
The agreement between Gifu University and the University of Zambia follows the outcome of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) technical cooperation project for bridge maintenance capacity building implemented over the period 2015 to 2017 under the Road Development Agency (RDA). This project revealed that there was need to develop sustainable human resource for the Road Development Agency.
Director for the JICA Team Infrastructure Department in Tokyo Mr. Kanenawa Tomoki said ‘In Phase II of the bridge maintenance capacity building project of JICA in Zambia, JICA had therefore asked Gifu University to introduce through their Centre of Infrastructure asset management technology research (CIAM) a human capital development system to train civil engineers under the Road Development Agency on the Japan model.’ He said through the Phase II project, JICA was looking forward to the University of Zambia providing a bridge maintenance programme to the RDA, local consultants and contractors with support from Gifu University.
This is commendable by JICA as always but what’s point of having Road Maintenance and Bridge experts, if maintenance is non existent in the life cycle of completed projects. Whats the point of having experts to look after roads when you dont have experts making sure that quality is guaranteed at construction phase…have you not seen the thin sub-bases on those washed away newly constructed roads. You have to tackle the root cause of all this first which is corruption in the Tender and Procurement process at RDA.
This is great. Prof Mumba is full of innovations and thinks for the country as well. Not these lousy politicians who just want to eat and eat without getting tired of stealing government cash.
Recommended!!!!
This may sound new to some people. However what we need has more to do with political will to maintain the nation’s infrastructure through allocation of adequate funds and accountability in the application of such funds at all levels. Otherwise we will continue to sound like Zambia has just been born. It pains me to see that after more than fifty years of independence, we seem to continue believing that only external assistance can help us to develop! It is really sickening.