IT is gratifying that K5.4 billion has been released to accelerate the various road projects that Government has embarked upon of transforming Zambia from a landlocked to a land-linked.
The funds are meant to cover for the construction projects under the Link Zambia 8000 and Pave Zambia 2000, Lusaka 400 and other Annual Work Plan related projects across the 10 provinces.
A good road network plays an important role in maximising economic and social benefits, national development and basically a good network enhances mobility of people interlinking them to other towns or communities.
Being a landlocked country, there is need for a good road network system that should help interlink Zambia with her neighbours in the movement of goods from and into the country.
Road transport has become one of the busiest sectors and it is therefore important that people are afforded an enabling environment to travel, transport and sell their goods.
Thus the release of the funds for road infrastructure development and road transport services for the fiscal year starting January 1, 2015 to 31st December 2015 by the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) is timely.
NRFA has already disbursed more than K600 million for road projects and related activities across the country and this will undoubtedly quicken works on roads that have continued to play a big role in the growth of the economy.
The Copperbelt Province, which has busiest roads as evident by the number of abnormal and normal trucks that ferry equipment from South Africa into Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo, has been allocated K487 million.
This will be spent on the rehabilitation of 400km of Copperbelt Urban
Roads, periodic maintenance of the Ndola to Kapiri Mposhi Road, Ndola-Kitwe Dual Carriage Way, techno -economic study, detailed engineering design and tender document preparation for the upgrading to Dual Carriageway of the Chingola to Chililabombwe/Kasumbalesa Road and Chingola to Solwezi/Mutanda Road.
For Lusaka Province, K632 million been earmarked for the upgrading of the
Leopards Hill Road from Katoba to Chiwa, detailed design and supervision for Zambezi Road Extension and loop from Caltex to Great North Road.
There will be a design and supervision of Mungwi Road to link to the Lusaka-Mongu Road at Situmbeko, rehabilitation of the Great East Road from Arcades to Airport Junction and the upgrading of the Great East Road at Chongwe District Hospital to Katoba Basic School and rehabilitation of all roads under Lusaka 400.
As NFRA spokesperson Alphonsius Hamachila said, the implementation of the Road Sector annual work plan and budget for 2015 would correspond to Government’s policy direction of transforming Zambia from a landlocked to a land-linked country given the importance of the road sector to the economy.
With respect to road works, estimates of expenditure for the 2015 Annual Work Plan have been illustrated most clearly by Provincial allocations.
Hamachila said some provinces have, however, received more funds than
others to enable the completion of ongoing road projects and/or the commencement of new ones and some due to donor priorities in those
provinces.
It is expected that the release of these funds will see work start immediately on the roads which are expected to not only interlink the country but also provide a link with neighbouring countries.
Despite being a landlocked country surrounded by eight countries, Zambia offers investors with excellent trade and investment opportunities and having a good network will surely boost this sector.
This will help in creating employment for the local people and help in alleviation of poverty.