Government says it is impressed with the construction works at the K315 million Ice Plant in Gwembe.
Speaking during a conducted tour of the Ice Plant construction site at Chipepo Harbour , acting Gwembe District Commissioner, Dorothy Hamvula, said the works were going according to schedule.
”The works being done by both the committee and the contractor are quite impressive, there is need for both the contractor and the committee to work together in order to ensure the success of the project,” she said.
The project, which is funded by the Justice for Solidarity and Poverty Reduction Fund (JSPRF), through the Agriculture Support Program (ASP), is expected to have among other amenities, a fish market, store-room and Ice-block maker.
A check at the contraction site revealed that works at the ice-plant, being carried out by Kwanga-Kwangisha which is still at slab level, is well ahead of schedule.
The project once complete is expected to produce a maximum of fifty ice-blocks per day, with the capacity to store up to 600kf’s of fish.
And the district commissioner questioned the storage capacity, saying that fifty blocks per day was too little.
She noted that there was need to leave enough room for expansion of the ice plant in order to increase the capacity.
And in response to the sentiments raised by the DC, ASP Gwembe District Coordinator,
Victor Ng’andu said the project was meant to serve the locals to store their fish, as opposed to other traders.
Mr. Ng’andu also said the project would be able to pay back the investment in two
years, if well managed.
He also noted that out of the K315 million, a total of K11 million, was a community
contribution towards the project, while K243 million was a grant from JSPRF, which
he said has been spent on the connection of ZESCO power, water reticulation and
buying of materials.
He added that from the community contribution, the monies raised would be used as
operational funds for logistics such as fuel.
The contraction works, which began in December last year, are expected to complete
in March this year, ahead of the official opening slated for April.
