President Rupiah Banda has predicted that Zambia would one day grab the African Cup title. Addressing soccer fans who turned up to have a glimpse of the President and the visiting Chinese Premier, President Banda predicted that the Africa Cup was coming to Zambia in-light of the earmarked construction of the modern stadia in the country.
Mr Banda observed that Zambia merely participated in the continental tournaments but failed to deliver and grab the Cup because both the people and the Chipolopolo Boys including many other players were not motivated owing to poor infrastructures in the country.
“Africa Cup title will be crowned to our country, be rest assured, he said. The happy-looking Banda told the fans to support Government in its programs of developing football including other sports disciplines in the country.
The president was speaking today when he laid a foundation stone at the location where the state of art Lusaka Independence Stadium is to be constructed with the help of the Chinese government at a cost of US$94 million with a capacity to hold 50 000 people.
Officiating at the ground-breaking ceremony in Lusaka today which was also witnessed by visiting Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu President Banda said Government had initially desired to start constructing the Lusaka modern stadium using local resources but that it was unable due to inadequate funds.
ZANIS reports that the President noted that in the past, Zambia had difficulties to host international sporting tournaments because of poor infrastructure existing in the country but that once the project was completed, the country would equally be able to host international events like South Africa which hosted the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
He commended the Chinese Government for helping Zambia build three modern stadia in the country; in Ndola on the Copperbelt which is expected to be completed by June this year, the planned Lusaka stadium and the third in the tourist capital, Livingstone.
The President urged the Zambian people against vandalism of the infrastructure saying it was detrimental to national development and appealed for support to the Shanghai Construction Group, the contractor that had been assigned to build the Lusaka modern stadium. The construction works for the Lusaka stadium is expected to last 30 months.
Speaking earlier, visiting Chinese Premier Hui Liangyu disclosed that the construction of stadia in the country would make Zambia a shining example in Africa in terms of ‘modern and quality’ infrastructure works.
Mr. Banda reiterated that the assistance China had rendered to the Zambian Government had helped deepen bilateral co-operation as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.
He said China was proud to take part in Zambia’s socio-economic development which had continued to exist for the past 47 years of diplomatic ties.
At the same occasion, Zambia’s Sport, Youth and Child Development Minister Kenneth Chipungu said the construction of the stadia in Zambia once completed would mark a mile-stone in improving the sport especially football in the country.
Mr Chipungu said that the assistance Zambia was receiving from China had enabled Government to be committed in the area of sport and he echoed President Banda’s remarks that once the stadia was completed this would allow Zambia host continental games.
Vice President George Kunda, Zambia’s Ambassador to China Joyce Musenge, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Qiangmin, some diplomats accredited to Zambia, Cabinet Ministers, their Deputies as well as Permanent Secretaries from various Government line Ministries including senior Government officials from China witnessed the ground breaking ceremony.
The Chinese Premier later proceeded to visit Johnken Estate Limited, a Chinese-owned farm in Chisamba, Central Province.
The visiting Premier is expected to depart Zambia tomorrow after completing his scheduled business.
ZANIS
How about the bad roads around the country? what is the plan mr president.Our travelling is terrible.
Oke shi Mpundu we are wit you on this one.
Where exactly is this stadium going to be built? Are they demolishing the old stadium and build a new one at the same location? Info please
Project manager at work. Lets hope this will not take forever to complete
all the same my relative you are going out of office this year, back to the village!!!
The dreaming president of Zambia. So many African Countries have beautiful Stadia and other Infrastructure, but have never won the Cup before. In 1994, Zambia reached the Finals but could not grab the Cup. The Infrastructure has been the same since Independence ( except for Independence Stadium where new ‘Kapinga’ from around Lusaka Compounds was planted, and that was a new look to Zambia, so much publicised in the Media, just Kapinga). There is more, a lot more involved in grabbing the Cup than just dreaming and uttering words in the presence of ka Chinese man.
a big hand for mubwezeni kumudzi Banda
now, the trash that surrounds the stadium.
I ain’t wit him on this one. It aint about the stadia but on HRD!…If at all we wanna dream about it, o’course we are free to do that. We were almost there and ba Alabee should know better.
JOB WELL DONE RB WE KNOW THIS WAS LEVY MWANAWASA’S PROGRAMS PLEASE LEARN TO RECOGNISE HIS EFFORTS POSTHUMOUSLY , PLEASE BELOVED ZAMBIANS DON’T VOTE FOR SATA AS HE WILL NOT CONTINUE WITH THESE PROGRAMMES AS HE WILL WANT TAIWANESE TO TAKE OVER, LETS VOTE FOR RB OR HH.
Right lets make Zambia more attractive to the rest of the world. First impressions count so how about having a modern Lusaka International Airport. The sight of that building is shocking, it’s so embarrassing, do something about it. Hope this new stadia brings with it proper training facilities, it’s not just about having a first class main stadia. Good development though!
I wouldn’t be surprised if part of theproce we pay for this assistace from the chinese is not in the form of turning a blind eye to the labor abuse in chinese run businesses including not prosecuting the gun trotting chinese duo who mysteriously disappeared just prior to theie premier visiting the country. On another note RB comparing Zambia to South Africa world cup experiece just because of thge 3 stadia to be built by the chinese is really a joke. It would have been better for him to judt remain quiet
Now that World Cup 2010 is over we decide to build stadiums!?!?! :-?
Zambia could have been hosting Brazil. Oh well, better late than never.
I have just seen David Cameron fawning all over the Chinese vice premier in front of 10 Downing Street; Zambia should take advantage of these guys. The UK has just signed for huge orders resulting in potential creation of thousands of jobs here in the UK.
It will get built alright,it will look fabulous initially but,rest assured as with all other stuff in zed it is going to be a rundown stadium in a few years.Look at Lusaka airport,UTH,various gov’t buildings and even street lights to know we don’t have that maintenance culture for upkeep of this one.Happy but distressed knowing what will be of this down the road.
We could have won the cup three times by now if we had been serious.
Don’t be stupid… these mmd Jack Changs are taking huge amounts of our copper, paying peanut taxes… We won’t kick you out of our Zambia when we are in power but will educate you to respect the rule of law… Don’t bring your stupid communist ideas to our beloved democratic(well when the pact is in power), Zambia… About the stadia…well, long overdue!!!!!!!!
Point #17, they just need to be educated to follow zambian rules. With Dr. KK this chocholis built the rel-line from Kapiri to Nakonde, I hope even on this aspect this will make it.
Thats nothing
Come to Scotland and see Celtic Park, Murrayfield and Ibrox
This does nothing for me. Glasgow alone could feed zambia, for a year
Thanks
Mushota, you’re very dim- witted! How long have you been in diaspora?
#19 You know when One dog barks at something, the rest bark at her. Next day rumors will go round that she has rabies, if lucky she be said to be on heat.
Why is it that most bloggers on this platform are duft up? If you’ve nothing worthwhile to say, please say nothing. You’ll understand, if you went to an Ivy League school like Matero University that RB is an expert at Game Theory. How many times in a month do you read about projects being commissioned in Zambia during RB’s era? Was this the case during Chiluba or Mwanawansa? If you have an ounce of logic, you’ll know that RB is the better devil amongst all the devils we have for presidential options we have in Zambia. Sata can win a populality contest, but Zambia’s presidential election is no longer a populality or propaganda contest, it’s much broader, HH is fit to be s statesman, but does not have all it takes to lead, in short, he is just a technocrat like his tribesmate Magande.
Its good to have the stadium built and its no big deal to the chinese, but check what the chinese are taking from the country is much more?
No. 23 Leroy Mwansa; in London today, this same chap, Chinese Vice Premier and PM here David Cameron signed a £3B deal to export including Land rover cars to China! In Zambia the whole of RB has to go to Beijing to sign the deal, while his friend David is sitting pretty and signing big deals! We now need now to be looking at what we can sell the Russians and Qataris e.g. Cement, foodstuff for their World Cup exploits, not only thinking about elections this year! We now have to move beyond (our un-obtainable 2030 Millennium Development Goals) which have been set by others (UN) and not ourselves. Let’s talk about building 30 stadia all over the country by 2016 and hosting the African Cup of Nations (MINIMUM)! First one is moving the capital from Lusaka to say Kafue/ Kabwe! See: PF/Pact News!
Hey Barotse now don’t like the Barotses name because of the fools who’re advocating killing non Lozis. But what you’ve said about Lusaka Airport was on my mind when I read the news above. We need a new Lusaka Airport badly. RB and his ministers are always in the air through our Lusaka international airstrip but they don’t seem to have eyes which sees how bad the state of our airport is. That cobra which is used to shine the arrival entry point makes the place look like it belongs to the 1950’s.
#6 Napapa sana The president was just been motivational ,we all that good instrustrure contributes to high moral to the sports men and women unless with you who can win training on dusty grounds.
‘know’
In the Barotse land we will build better stadia than these being built by the Choncholiz..
a gree with my president! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah. however im worried about the BRE issue. anyway we shall circumcise all the lozis so that they can not rape our women.
Good development. We need good infrastructure in Zambia. Imagine how much business this project will provide for suppliers during the construction stage. Dull PF cadre Zambians will be ranting on blogs. Smart Zambians will be running around trying to secure contracts with Shanghai Construction Group in terms of supplying the company with materials, fuel, etc.
Let him develop the infrastructure as he awaits his exist.we are tired of these ancient people leading this country to its snail-pace development.we need someone who will pace up the development of this country and not brag about even the tiniest infrastructure development………Viva pabwato…Viva pa kwanja…out live the thugs now rulling!!!!!!!!
President Rupiah Banda has predicted that Zambia would one day grab the African Cup title. Please ba LT can you also report me: Soccer Fan No 2 has predicted that one day a fisherman in Siavonga will get a big fish. Ni reporting ya bwanji kansi iyi? This is not a prediction: You should rather have said President Rupiah Banda is hoping that one day Zambia will win
This development is welcome. I hope the building material to be used to build will not be fokong! building inspectors etc ensure ALL materials go through some kind of approval process etc etc
Talk is indeed cheap. We have been hearing these bed time stories for so long. Not only stadias will make Zambia win the bid to host but the transport network, roads, trains and hotels. Not forgetting the condition of our airports.
GOOD MOVE RB! LOVE YOU FOR SUCH POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT
and please take away anything that would look like a WMD from them when work starts.,,,eg guns and make sure the working condition or the locals is far better off than those slavery working conditions i have just been seeing on here and the post.
viva RB… satana we ll never take over this country
@19Mushota, tawakwata amano. I’m 23 now and you #19mushota how old are you if i may ask????
Is the current stadium beyond repair? Can’t we put the new one somewhere else then we budget each year something to rebuild a section of the old stadium until we finish. We’d have 2 stadia even if it takes us 5 years of repair work.
Zambia WILL be one of the top ten fastest growing economies in the WORLD in the next five years according to the Economist and the BBC. We owe this incredible success to the late Mr. Mwanawasa and Mr. Rupiah Banda. If Mr Sata gets in we shall be in the bottom ten. No doubt about that.
RB thats welcom,but then give priority to things that can drive the economy,we need good roads,good hospitals with proper medicine,good schools,industries that can change our economy.If you sort out these critical issues,building stedia will b very easy.
Shrek is A VERY LAZY president Indeed. All he knows is BORROW. Borrow this, borrow that, borrowing all the time. Does he ever know that it pays to work hard and not just continue borrowing all the time.
Voice Of Reason says:
January 11, 2011 at 12:21 pmZambia WILL be one of the top ten fastest growing economies in the WORLD in the next five years according to the Economist and the BBC. We owe this incredible success to the late Mr. Mwanawasa and Mr. Rupiah Banda. If Mr Sata gets in we shall be in the bottom ten. No doubt about that.
ULI CHIPUBA IWE AI….dont listen to BBC or the economist……they have there own agendas…listen to your conscience
lets learn to be independent….dependence on other races for everything…..ba shetani
Stadium good, 100 miles Journey starts with 0 mile then 1mile then 10 miles the………..miles………miles……….miles; RB you are in the right direction.
we can not build everything at a go,it’s one after another so lets appreciate this one atleast …………
ON THE ARTISTIC IMPRESSION OF THE STADIA, i CANT SEE MANDEVU COMPOUND. WHERE IS IT.
P.Banda said Govt had initially desired to start constructing the Lusaka modern stadium using local resources but that it was unable due to inadequate funds.Kani iyo… He,he So you see why there was
no need to remove windfall tax from the mines.Meaning it was to be built using our own resources from
revenue earned ex windfall tax.
As long as government doesn’t build a stadium in Kitwe – the second largest city in Zambia and most centrally located on the Copperbelt – I will not be impressed by the MMD’s plans on stadia unless they can give give very good and convincing reasons for this attitude. How can Lusaka bamba zonke everything – two stadia in one one city and and not even one in Kitwe? Why do they keep on sidelining Kitwe?