THE benefits from the newly completed Mongu-Kalabo Road in the western part of Zambia will continue to accrue to the people of that region and the country as a whole.
Definitely, Western Province will never be the same again following the completion of this mammoth project which took in colossal amounts of funds.
The project has, in a positive way, affected and will continue to affect all spheres of life in the sandiest province of Zambia what with the opening up of the area for development.
In the next two years or so, the province will definitely become one of the fasting developing areas of this resources-endowed country.
The road has not just excited the people of Zambia but also those in the neighbouring Angola whose government yesterday officially opened a consulate in Mongu to strengthen relations between Zambia and Angola.
Officiating at the occasion, Angolan Secretary General – External Relations (Angolan foreign affairs) Eduardo De Jesus Beny, could not hide one of the main drivers of that move.
He said the newly-constructed Mongu-Kalabo Road, which links the two countries, was one such.
Equally, Zambia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Rayford Mbulu was not being rhetorical when he said that the new consulate will help create business opportunities for the peoples of the two friendly nations.
Socially, the road will enhance interactions between the Angolans and Zambians who live on the common border more so considering that language is not a barrier between them.
Certainly, the newly constructed road has reduced time and effectively the cost of the travel between Mongu and Kalabo.
Already reports reaching us indicate that the cost of booking a taxi between the two towns has reduced from the previous K130 to the current amount, a paltry K30.
Hence, the people of Kalabo will have access to more goods and services at affordable prices as the result of this drastic reduction in the transport costs.
We believe that many other parts of the economy are recording some positive changes as a result!
Regardless of where the goods would be coming from, be they from Lusaka, Copperbelt, Livinstone and the rest of Zambia through Mongu their prices will be lower because the transport cost between Mongu and Kalabo was a major cost component.
In a significant way, the road will have important multiplier effects whose magnitude cannot be fully fathomed now.
In economics, the multiplier effects of a direct investment like road construction are high and their effect immediate.
There are some assumptions that Kalabo has potential for mineral wealth and the road will now allow companies to affordably conduct mineral explorations thereby creating opening up possibilities for employment opportunities.
This will uplift the social and economic status of Western Province; while at the same time rekindling the much-needed business confidence in the economy.
We expect to see increased movement of goods and services from both Western Province and Angola.
To insure mutual benefits we urge our compatriot in Western Province especially those involved in the small scale business to start positioning themselves to take advantage of the opening up of opportunities.
The people should receive this project with open minds and try to explore how they can benefit from it instead of being skeptical or even cagey about it.
They should even welcome credible foreign investors who may want to help in exploiting some of the local natural resources, provided the local people share in ultimate benefits in one way or another.
We strongly believe that the said road has become a transformational tool for that province, which has been lagging behind in terms of development, for quite some time now.
We further submit that the huge amount of colossal funds which were spent on this project was money well-spent because the project is worthwhile.