By CHUSA SICHONE in Kasama –

THE Government has engaged An-Hui-Shuin Construction Group of China to upgrade Kasama Airport at more than K141 million.
Northern Province Permanent Secretary Hlobotha Nkunika told journalists in Kasama on Tuesday that the airport upgrade would gobble up K141,012,639.2 for a period of one year.
“I am happy to report that our Kasama Airport is now going to be turned into an international airport and the contractor has already been engaged by the name of An-Hui-Shuin Construction Group of China, and mobilisation is already taking place,” he said.
Mr Nkunika noted that the contractor was already on site and that upgrading of Kasama Airport would attract more tourists to Northern Province.
He said that Northern Province was endowed with tourist sites whose access was hampered by the poor road network but that accessibility was being opened up by the Link Zambia 8000 Project, which had resulted in several roads being worked on.
To further boost tourism, Mr Nkunika said the Northern Tourism Circuit comprising Northern, Muchinga and Luapula provinces had been strengthened as permanent secretaries from the three areas met recently to see how best they could make the Circuit stronger.
Mr Nkunika said Northern Tourism Circuit was developing a strategic plan which would ascertain how best they could package and market their respective localities in a coordinated manner.
Meanwhile, Mr Nkunika was optimistic that Northern Province was poised to record increased investment and a drastic reduction in load-shedding once hydropower was boosted.
Mr Nkunika disclosed that the upgrading of Lunzua Hydropower Station from the current 0.6 mega watts to 14.6 at the cost of US$58 million had progressed and one of the switches would be commissioned by the end of this month.
The permanent secretary also said that the upgrading of 66 kilo volts to 330 from Pensulo to Kasama at $112 million was ongoing.
“Now with the coming in of this electricity, there is going to be a serious boost of power as the province has experienced low investment because of the challenge of power. Now, the coming of power means it’s going to stabilise a lot of things,” Mr Nkunika said.