By JULIUS PHIRI
and DALIYA MANDA –
RURAL development is an important cornerstone of economic transformation of any country especially as regards poverty reduction.
This makes road transport to be a vital tool to any country’s economic sector.
This is because roads enable the country’s transportation sector to contribute towards the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In Zambia, the Government has considered a good road network as being critical to the country’s development in social integration as well as its security needs.
This is the reason why rural roads have gobbled a substantial portion of the country’s road network budget largely because most of these roads were previously in a poor shape.
The state of roads in rural areas affects the rural population’s quality of life and the ability of farmers to transfer produce to markets after harvest.
Over the years, the farming community had not been able to achieve meaningful gain from their farming activities. This has partly been because of poor infrastructure, among them roads.
According to Whiteson Nkhata of Katangalika village of Senior Chief Kambombo in Chama District, many rural roads are of poor quality.
The roads are often potholed and cannot easily be used to transport heavy farm equipment.
Mr Nkhata expressed happiness that the Government has started paying attention to the state and quality of infrastructure through the construction of tarred roads as well as through the rehabilitation of trunk roads in the district.
The trunk roads have been nothing like the all-weather, good quality two or four laned roads in urban areas.
The poor trunk roads make economic resource flow to be slow and increase logistical costs.
In September 2012, the late President Michael Sata launched a road construction and rehabilitation project named Link Zambia-8000.
The first phase of the project was estimated at US$ 1.5 billion.
The second phase was to cover about 3,049 kilometres of the road network at a cost of  about US$2.2billion.
The third phase involved upgrading of 2,862km of the road network  costing  around  US$1.76 billion.
The three phases of Link Zambia-8000 were expected to be carried out over a five-year period.
The launch of the project signalled the beginning of a revolution to modernise the country and convert it into a complete land-linked country.
The Link Zambia-8000 underscores the Patriotic Front (PF) Government’s desire and determination to develop the state of infrastructure in the country especially roads as enshrined in the ruling party’s manifesto.
At the groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of the major road projects in Muchinga and Eastern provinces recently, President Edgar Lungu said Government’s resolve to improve Zambia’s road network is very evident.
The roads to be covered includes the upgrading of Isoka-Muyombe-Chama–Lundazi road covering 90 kilometres in Muchinga Province, the upgrading of Muyombe-Chama-Lundazi covering 84 kilometres in Eastern Province and upgrading the Isoka-Muyombe-Chama-Lundazi covering 40 kilometres including 16 kilometers of Lusuntha border road in Eastern Province.
The projects which are valued at approximately K 1.3 billion are wholly funded by the Government.
The project covers and connects Muchinga Province and Eastern Province.
President Lungu said the Government, through the Road Development Agency (RDA) in April 2014 awarded contracts on Isoka-Muyombe-Chama-Lundazi lots three, four and five to Avic International Project Engineering Company, China Civil Engineering Construction Zambia and Sable Transport for the upgrading of the road to bituminous standard.
The scope of works for these projects include, but is not limited to, the construction of earthworks, pavement layers, drainage works, surfacing of the carriageway with double surface dressing and provision road furniture and ancillary road works .
President Lungu said in Western Province, two major projects had been completed; the Mongu-Tapo road which is part of the Mongu- Kalabo roadand the Sioma Bridge.
He said the two projects in Western Province would open up part of Zambia to further development.
He said Government has placed great importance on the development and construction of roads because it believes that roads will play a pivotal role in facilitating Zambia’s economic development.
“Without roads the development of other economic sectors will be difficult to attain,” he said.
He said the construction of the Isoka-Muyombe-Chama–Lundazi road has immense economic benefits.
He said upgrading of the road will, among other things, greatly enhance economic activities in Western Province in terms of agriculture and trade, improve economic activities for individual communities including agricultural schemes, trading, health facilities, schools and general infrastructure.
He said the road will reduce travel time significantly, including reduction in transport costs and vehicle operating costs.
President Lungu said although the Government was committed to building roads, it should be noted that the construction of the roads was being done at a great cost to Government and the tax payer.
“My appeal is to the contractors that have been appointed to construct this road to do a good job and deliver to Government and the people a good product,” he said.
He said he would not want to hear of unnecessary delays or the issue of shoddy works because such tendencies would merely serve to reverse the gains of the country.
President Lungu said the Ministry of Works and Supply and RDA as the implementing agency should make adequate supervision and ensure that the project was delivered within time to the prescribed standard and within budget.
He appealed to the local people and the traditional leadership to render support to the contractors as they carry out their work.
He said his Government would also continue to provide infrastructure and the much needed services to the people in the country.
Speaking earlier, acting Works and Supply Minister Stephen Kampyongo said the people of Chama were expectant of the good road network.
He said the local people were happy with the Government.
Mr Kampyongo, who is local Government and Housing Minister, said the improvement of the road networks in the two provinces would improve the welfare of the people who were finding it difficult to connect due to the poor state of the Lundazi-Chama road.
It has always been said that good road network is key to the country’s social economic development.
Therefore, it is gratifying that the Government has paid attention to the improvement of the road network in the country.