.Mumba

By REBECCA MUSHOTA –

THE Road Development Agency (RDA) has signed a US$500 million contract dubbed C-400 to refurbish roads in eight towns on the Copperbelt.
The C-400 (Construct-400) will cover roads in Ndola, Kitwe, Kalulushi, Luanshya, Chingola, Mufulira, Chambeshi and Chililabombwe.
The works would be undertaken by China Henan International Group Company Limited (CHICO) in conjunction with Zulu Burrow Development Consultants to design, construct and upgrade a total of 406 kilometres of roads.
RDA chief executive officer Kanyuka Mumba signed the contract on behalf of the institution while CHICO managing director Xu Chunhua signed on behalf of the contractor.
Mr Mumba said the project was supported by China and was worth $492,510,588 with a completion period of three years and two months.
He said the funding was expected to be completed in six months’ time after which works would commence.
“The funding will be completed in six months time and by then it will be the rainy season. So immediately after that, around March-April, the contractor will start working,” Mr Mumba said.
The works would include designing, constructing and completing to bituminous standards as well as construction of bicycle lanes, walkways and pedestrian footbridge crossings.
The contractor would also construct drainage structures, put street lighting and facilitate for resettlement for affected areas.
Mr Mumba said it was expected that once the project was complete, there would be ease of movement of goods and people and reduced cost of doing business.
He was optimistic that CHICO would perform to expectations as sub-standard works would not be tolerated.
CHICO deputy managing director Xiao Liang said the firm had undertaken various projects in Zambia since 1998.
The Chinese company would employ about 1,000 Zambians during its peak period. They would also undergo training.
Mr Mumba was giving an update on the progress of the L-400 road project in Lusaka which he said had covered about 40 per cent of physical work.
He also said RDA was formulating ways of giving more of its contracts to Zambians.
Mr Mumba said he was aware that Zambian contractors did not have capacity like foreign ones to undertake huge contracts but measures were being put in place to encourage Zambians on their own or in joint ventures to undertake contracts of such magnitude.