President Rupiah Banda has commissioned rehabilitation of works on selected urban roads on the Copperbelt which will gobble one trillion Kwacha ( K 1 trillion)

President Banda said the commissioning of the road works programme is another massive programme that his government has embarked on in seven districts on the copperbelt.

The president was speaking in Kitwe today when he officially commissioned the rehabilitation works on selected roads on the copperbelt in Kwacha constituency at Mitanto high school grounds.

The urban road rehabilitation program is targeting approximately 500 kilometers of both tarmac and gravel roads and is estimated to cost about K1 trillion.

” This programme is on because of the serious state of disrepair that these roads have been in for many years,’ the President said.

President Banda said urban roads have been depreciated over time and because of this towns are dusty and look old and dilapidated.

Government through the RDA has embarked on major rehabilitation and up grading of main trunk roads countrywide while urban roads have so far not received the same urgent attention due to limited funding.

The President expressed his happiness that at long last government has also secured funding to rehabilitate selected roads in Lusaka , Kafue, Kapiri Mposhi, Kabwe Districts.

The seven towns towns on the Copperbelt targeted include Ndola, Kitwe, Mufulira, Chingola, Kalulushi, and Chililambobwe, respectively.According to President Banda, this programme will alleviate hardships road users face due to the poor state of the roads.

” The rehabilitation of the roads will facilitate the easy movement of the people goods and services, it will also significantly reduce vehicle maintenance costs and reduce on travel time, ” the president noted.

President Banda said the selection of roads to be worked on was mainly based on factors such as bus routes centers for social amenities like markets hospitals police station and residential areas.

President Banda also said the implementation of the programme will be coordinated by RDA the national road fund agency the road transport and safety agency the lo9cal authorities and the rural road unit under the ministry of works and supply.

He said the proposed urban roads are expected to complement the works on the road development agency 2011 annual work plan and the Japanese international development agency JICA programme on the copperbelt.

He said government has also mobilized funds to supplement the RDA 2011 annual wok plan budget were a provision for food for work activities will be done.

The president said government will provide maize grain from the 2.6 billion tonnes bumper harvest to pay people who will volunteer to participate in working on the roads as this will give work opportunities to people living in the communities where roads are located.

Mr Banda stressed contractors to carry out works on paved roads in various towns have already mobilized to commence works soon.

” I expect that all contractors and consultants who have been awarded these contracts will perform according to specific standards quality and timeliness,” he added

President Banda also commended Mopani Copper Mines for making available K50 billion for the rehabilitation of Chibuluma and Sabina Mufulira roads while government in its road annual work plan for 2011 has provided K20 billion for the maintenance of the same road.

He said government intends to upgrade the main trunk roads including urban and feeder roads country wide.

Meanwhile well wishers in Kitwe have donated 50 bicycles to the ruling MMD party. This was done during a commssioning of the rehabilitaion work on urban raods in the district..

And works and supply minster Gabriel Namulambe said 32.6 kilometers of urban roads will be tarred in kitwe and on an average of 30 kilomters in all district on the copperbelt will be done.

Mr. Namulambe said the next 14 days president Banda will flag off the rehabilitation of the Kalulushi Lufwanyama road. he said this is because government would want to see that roads are passible

ZANIS

The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has praised government for initiating sound agricultural policies that have seen the country record a successive bumper harvest.

ZACA Assistant Executive Director Samuel Simutunda says the successive bumper harvest is testimony enough of government’s good agriculture policy.

Mr Simutunda told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that his association is impressed with government’s pronouncement of a second but historic bumper harvest.

The ZACA Assistant Executive Director has since urged government to put in place measures to ensure no maize goes to waste.

“The big challenge now lies with government to provide enough storage space to safeguard the produce from going to waste. If we let the maize go to waste, we’ll be eroding the efforts small scale farmers have put in place to ensure we have a bumper harvest yet again”, he said.

He also appealed to government to improve the road infrastructure especially in rural areas for easy transportation of the maize to the markets.

And the ZACA Executive Director says there is need for government to come up with strategies that will ensure that consumers benefit from the bumper harvests that the country has been recording.

He said consumers have not really benefited from the subsidized maize that government is selling to millers because the millers have failed to respond favourably to government efforts to ensure consumers benefit from the country’s successes in the agriculture sector.

And Farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector are impressed that the country is headed for another record bumper harvest.

The farmers are confident that with government’s continued support, it is possible for the country to sustain the same path.

The Zambia National Farmers Union- ZNFU- says the bumper harvest shows that with government support farmers can respond positively in turning the country into the bread basket of the region.

ZNFU president Jervis Zimba has also congratulated farmers across the country for the bumper harvest which he says is a positive achievement.

He has also indicated that farmers expect smooth marketing arrangements following government’s assurance that it will buy off the entire crop across the country.

And the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection-JCTR says Mealie meal prices on the local market are expected to reduce following the three point two million metric tones of maize.

JCTR Social Conditions Programs Manager Miniva Chibuye says the surplus maize should steer millers to reduce the price of mealie meal.

Ms Chibuye has praised farmers in the country for recording another bumper harvest.

ZANIS

The country’s leading comminications service company, Airtel Zambia limited , has commended the Zambian government for maintaining a favourable market environment.

Managing Director Fayaz King says his company will for this reason continue launching exciting products as the market for doing business in the country is conducive.

Mr. King was speaking in Lusaka yesterday when his company launched an extraordinary double sim in one pack offer, a first of its kind in Zambia and Africa.

The 2-sim offer comes with two consecutive numbers in one single starter pack and will enable Airtel customers to enjoy cheap calls between the two numbers and free sms’s for the lifespan of the sim.

The product will also offer 50% discount on all calls between the two customers and two free sms’s every day upon buying airtime for K10, 000.

The product also has innovative value added services like push e-mail, Ring Back Tunes, news alert & facebook notifications will also be offered at a price of K10,00 per month.

Customers on the dual Sim product will also have access to Push –email, a facility aimed at bringing revolution to the country adding that customers who can not afford phones like blackberry or i-phone can access email on ordinary handsets.

Meanwhile, Mr. King noted that the launch of the double Sim product also comes in line with today’s theme for the celebration of the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD).

The theme which is dubbed ‘Better Life in Rural Communities with ICTs’ is aimed at providing solutions to many problems faced in rural areas among them being increase in illiteracy levels and unemployment thereby reducing on urban migration.

Mr. King noted that the double Sim Product will enable access to internet in rural areas hence giving the rural community in all the districts around the country affordable internet services.

ZANIS