Today, the Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Hon. ENG. Charles Lubasi Milupi was on the Copperbelt, Ndola in particular, for a ground breaking ceremony, marking yet another significant milestone in the country’s infrastructure development, the 61 kilometre Ndola-Mufulira Road, development of Sakania Border Post infrastructure, and access road through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) financing model.
The government through the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, is undertaking the development of infrastructure relating to the design, finance, build, maintain and transfer of the Sakania Border Post infrastructure, 61km Ndola to Mufulira Road, and the access road to Sakania Border.
The project is financed through a finance model where a private entity has been selected to lead the development, and for this a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in the name, Jaswin Ports Limited has been established.
Considering that the Ndola-Sakania-Mufulira road was last worked under the UNIP administration, Jaswin Ports Limited, the concessionaire, has assured government that they will speedily implement this project, which was unveiled in the company of the Lamba-Lima traditional leadership in Ndola today.
The prominent features in the scope of this project are:
Roads construction cost at US$27.2 million; Bridges and crossing points at US$1.1 million; Border Post construction at US$19.8 million; and integrated transport information system and instrumentation at US$6.3 million.The New Dawn government, is aware that the people of Mufulira and Ndola have for a long time suffered because of the deplorable state of the Ndola-Sakania-Mufulira road, having to use a longer route through Kitwe.
As government, we have heard the cries of our people and want to alleviate their suffering.Through this Public-Private Partnership project, government will deliver for the people of Ndola and Mufulira, and all those intending to use this road.
Hon Eng Milupi stressed to Jaswin Ports Limited that they have to strictly adhere to the government policy of ensuring that the local people, especially in the project area, benefit through jobs and the 20 percent sub-contracting.
The Minister will be back on the Copperbelt next week to sign a concession agreement for rehabilitation of the Mufulira-Mokambo road with the identified PPP .
