Government has entered into an agreement with a Turkish firm Guris Holding to upgrade the Lusaka International Airport. Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane disclosed that Government is in discussions with a Turkish company, Guris Holding to re-design the Lusaka International Airport.
Dr. Musokotwane said the re-modeling of the airport will result in the facility which was constructed in the 1967 modernised.
He said the re-modeling will be done in three areas including the face-lifting of the terminal building, the VIP section and the improvement of the marketing side.
He added that Government will not use any money on the project but that this will be financed by the private sector.
Dr. Musokotwane who could however not disclose the total cost of the project said that will be determined after negotiations are concluded
in four weeks time.
And Government has approved a plan to re-develop Longacres Lodge in Lusaka into a five star hotel.
Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane said the development of the Longacres Lodge will start in the next six weeks and will be financed by Thukuka Zambia Limited, a South African company with its Zambian partners at a cost of US$35 million.
ZANIS reports that Mr Musokotwane said the project will be done under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) concept and will be run by a
special purpose entity where the developer will be allowed to man the asset for a concession period of 20 years.
Dr. Musokotwane further stated that the developer will be paying Government US$32 million every year while Government will also maintain 15 percent shareholding in the asset until the concession period when it will completely take over.
He also disclosed that the developer will also pay all the employees at the lodge their benefits while those who wish to continue will be re-engaged by the same developer.
Dr. Musokotwane said this at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
The Minister and other officials from the Ministry were later in the day expected to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the re-development of the Longacres Lodge.
He also noted that the re-development of the lodge into a five star hotel will create an employment opportunity to hundreds of Zambians who will be employees in various capacities during the construction period.
Dr. Musoktwane said Belvedere Lodge is also another hostel that will be considered for redevelopment.
The five star hotel will also house a shopping complex, offices and a spacious parking space.
ZANIS
I hope this will include setting up those portals that take you straight into a plane. Not always walking into the rain.
Oh, we also want touch screen boarding pass machines. We are in the 21st century in Zambia too Dr. Musokotwane.
IT’S ABOUT TIME WE THEY SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO THE AIRTPORT….THUS WHERE ALL THE SO CALLED INVESTOR ARRIVE AND SEE HOW DIRTY OUR COUNTRY IS SHAME ON RB FOR NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUS WHEN HE CAME IN POWER. WE SHOULD NOT EVEN CALL IT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BECAUSE IT’S NOT TO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, EVEN ZIMBABWE HAVE BETTER AIRPORT AND ADDIS ….PLS GOVT OF ZAMBIA DO SOMETHING FOR US ZAMBIANS TO HAVE A NATIONAL FLAG OR NATIONAL AIRLINE……
it’s about time! a friend of mine was working on a proposal for the upgrade of the airport 2 years ago 4 gov. , i saw some of the images looked good , hope his part of this, as his a fellow zambian whose just returned to the country
Although I like the ease of getting through Lusaka airport (5 minutes from plane to car if you just have a carry-on), I hope this is a more than a “face lift” like 7-8 years ago when they installed the escalators. The dark corridor with bare asbestos roof we use for boarding is a disgrace! By comparison, Maputo has a shiny new airport and Dar es Salaam is getting one too… both built by the Chinese.
As for the upgrade of Longacres Lodge, something must be wrong with the numbers in the article. Excluding $35 million rehabilitation costs, the $32 million they say will be paid to govt each year is something like $87,000 per day!!! I dread to think whey they will have to charge for a room to generate so much income… even with shops and offices, this doesn’t sound possible.
yep i agree the figures published in the lusakatimesfor l/acres lodge is not what i heard on the radio!! dont these people check there info before publishing?????
What happened to the design by the Americans? What happened to the design by a fellow zambian? Why the Turks? We have heard stories of Lusaka airport upgrade before. We want action and not just announcements. Any good upgrade is welcome. But knowing Zambia, it will take another ten years before the plan is implemented.
Just tire it all down and build a modern airport facility worthy to be called “International airport” fit for the twenty first century Zambia! Re-designing and upgrading only parts of the building is simply a waste of energy and resources. Lusaka International Airport is the first and last place that makes an impress (good or bad) on visitors to our country.
It can make or break our Tourism Industry. It is that important! Whether we as Zambians care about it or not, visitors from other countries do. And good and nice facilities matters if we expect to compete with countries in the region for tourists. Also good and modern facilities encourages investments (local and foreign), especially those in the Hospitality Industry.
Ndola airport needs a complete reconstruction too! Let us not only concentrate on Lusaka. Kasama and Mansa airports have been done, thumbs up to GRZ though the structures don’t look so mordern. Was airstrip in Luanshya private? Why was it sold? GRZ I need answers!
This is a very welcome investment but what good is a mordenised Airport without a competetive national airline? The two go together like hand and glove.
When you reach Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you wander how a country with no copper and all mineral wealth can have such a wonderful facility. I am sure our government would want us to start competing with our friends within Africa. Note, I did not even mention OR Tambo Airport here because it is on another planet competing with the likes of Frankfurt. So I hope this is not just a facelift but a proper modernisation to be proud of. As a citizenry, we are demanding for quality here.
Sorry, No. 10 – but for me Jomo Kenyatta is one of the worst airports in Africa and is also in serious need of being torn down! JKIA was built to handle a small fraction of its current traffic so suffers from serious overcrowding, poor ventilation, inadequate toilet facilities, long and disorganized queues at immigration, poor check-in facilities, many stairs and steps making it difficult for the handicapped and elderly, too many flights being parked on the apron instead at a jetway, etc., etc. For me it makes an awful first impression of Kenya which is a shame because of the huge importance of tourism there. Given the choice of transiting through Nairobi on KQ or going the longer way round through South Africa, I’ll take SAA every time to avoid the cesspit that is JKIA.
Election year you do give us so many projects!
Where does the National Airports Authority come into this? I may be mistaken, isn’t it NAC who are supposed to be doing this work – the ones who are receiving all the airport taxes? Can someone clarify this please?
Yeah thats really something they must consider doing..The airport is too embarrassing to be called INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
These are good ideas. But questions we should ask ourselves is how are these projects awarded to these companies? Did they advertise for the projects?# 13 KAPATAMOYO. Very good observation. It looks like the government has taken over all the responsibilities. This Musokotwane thinks we are very dull that we will only be blinded by announcing that they will develop the Airport. We need accountability and transparency. They are alot of companies in Africa, Zambia included who can manage to upgrade the airport. You choose your corrupt friends from Turkey.
Better do it, GRZ! It shouldn’t just end at cheap talk, which is common in Zed, especially in an election year. We really need an upgrade and not just another lick of paint.
Please Make sure we have Boarding bridges, to walk directly in to the Plane, with proper boarding Gates. We need to also see the plan before any work is started.
@11, so can you compare Lusaka International Airport to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. If your answer is yes, then we see very different things. In Africa I have seen Maputo, Harare, Lilongwe, Addis ababa, Dar es Salaam and ORT. I do not know which one is your datum for saying it is one of the worst. Maybe the West African and North African airports that I have not been to. For the ones I have been to, apart from ORT and Addis, the rest do not come close. For good order’s sake, in my posting in 10, my first statement has a point that should read……you wonder…….
I agree with the observations @ 11, the comments are based on the structural arrangement of JKIA airport and not as in comparison to LIA. The one street arrangement of JKIA makes it look very congested and going up a flight of stairs is indeed not very user friendly for physically challenged people. That said LIA needs a serious facelift to compete favourably as a transit point, Zambia is centrally located and can use this central location for a lot of connections within the Region and beyond.
A welcome development if we are to believe the minister. However, like CHAMP @ 5 said, the $32 million figure doesn’t seem realistic. I hope the PPP strategy bears fruit in the long run. As for the airport, I am entirely in unison with YAMBAYAMBA @ 7 in that the airport gives the first and last impression about our country. The facelift albeit total overhaul of the airport is long overdue. With good and sober leadership, Zambia has the potential to be the modern hub of south central Africa given our geographical position. We can do it but it requires men with BALLS!!
#15 Dinx; The Zambian govt is not funding this project. The Turkish company building it will….No one has stopped your favourite African and Zambian companies from doing it. Besides if indeed there is a Zambian company that is willing to rebuild the Lusaka International Airport they would have done so already. That eyesore has been there since the last century! There are other numerous eyesores in the country like Ndola Airport, ZRA HQ, Findeco House, Lamya House if not the entire Lusaka CBD that need to be redone…Where the heck are the Zambian companies ready and willing to take the initiative? Why cant they be proactive? I have reason to believe that these companies dont exist otherwise they would have taken the initiative. So my dear stop hallucinating!
I’ve checked the Guris Holding website and I have not seen them building an airport. I think we need to see the airport design plan for the public to make a comment. Was that the reason RB went to Turkey for? Is this award tender the reason they want to fly into Lusaka. I have seen the Istanbul airport inside photo and it does not impress me. How can we trust these guys to design a good airport for us?
# 9 Nine Chale
The private sector should encouraged to set up an airline that can compete with other established airlines. Govt should not set another parastatal that will just benefit a few individuals. Maybe joint ventures between local and international entrepreneurs should be the way to go.
Why don’t you tender in Building Magazines or Architects Journal? Why??? What’s this link with the Turks …RB travels to Turkey a gov’t conference and all the sudden all these contracts..why not tender, and approve the best bid, the British, Germany’s, Egyptians, South African Contractors would be very happy delivery such specialist contracts on condition they sub-contract to the local companies for the general works.
I thought there were plans to have a domestic and an international airport. #23 good questions
# 20 Musiwa Likota. I do no care whether they are financing it or not. Is it theonly company that can source funds for such a project? I m sure you do not understand how things work in Zambia hence your tantrums. People and Zambian companies put up a lot of proposals but they are not supported by the government. You are still in the old age thinking Zambians can raise that kind money to upgrade that Airport. To you the Turkish company will get money from their savings and pump into that project. Nope. Remember they are not doing it for free, they are in it for some profit. Being it a bankable project, finance houses will definitely provide funds not only to a TURKISH company but others. My problem is the way such projects are awarded.
RB and his sons reaping the rewards of being in plot one. Was this project advertised ??? or was it sealed privetly on one of RBs many trips to turky ?.
Did you know that any customs duty clearence of more than $1000000 has to be refered to the Banda boys, who then look into which project it is meant for before trying to stick their sticky fingers into the pie. Ask F.Chapota of Mobi tv.
# 20 Musiwa Likota
All Air conditioning and electrical work, not to mention even the plastering at Manda hill was done by south Africans, the same is so about the new levy center. Do you think there are no Zambian companies to do that ? This RB GRZ is so corrupt that Zambian companies do not stand a chance because thay will not pay the Banda boys audience fees to meet RB. Keep your inferiority coplex to your self and look at the wider picture
Why are PF so dull? too many questions on this blog from PF homos,,pliz u wanted the airport to be worked on,now we tell u that it will be refurbished into a modern airport then u start asking us silly questions…thats ubsurd. As the government,we r developing zambia slowly ever witnessed before so spare your baseless questions and watch..Society house,findeco,Ndola airpot,pensions house,Zra,kitwe old infrastructures,stadia too many to mention are amongst in our refurbishing plans,,so relax. Why PF cadres hate hearing such storyz? and why do they hate development? no wonder they dont have a political manifesto n just rely on 90 days miracle. Tell us what your govt ll do when it comes into power,,doubt if it ll ever c plot one..my foot shyyya.
please let them work do not politicise
#7 Yambayamba,
You are spot on, your comments are powerful and factual.
To add on, it won’t be enough to just re-design the airport without making sure that the right calibre of staff are employed there. In 2009 I went to Zambia on holiday and upon arrival while going through the formalities a male member of staff asked me in vernacular language and I felt that was horrible and told him to use the official language (English) and if he could not communicate in english he is not supposed to be at that facility. Sheepishly he responded by saying ( go through). The attitude of some public workers is no good for the country.
You canot do everything in one month, we can now see the foolishness of corruption it puts you under pressure when your bosses appear, when you had all these years but you went to sleep now everyone knows it
Too much talk! Come back to us whne the airport is done! We are tired of these lies and waiting!
Why not build new airport terminal instead of upgrading existing ones? We have plenty of land in Zambia for new airport terminals and hotels. With upgrading, very often one can not easily tell the actual work done since the old structures are still there. Also new facility means there is no disruptions to normal services until the switch is made.
# 28 Anti-corruption
If being worried bout zambian companies being over looked by the Banda gang is being dull so be it. PF will make sure zambians come first. Let the bandas steal as much because they are on the way out.
#34 witnes….Give me an Example of zambian companies being over looked by HERB which can work on our airport..i guess there is non,if there is any it means most of the shares r owned by foreigners.its high time zambian companies come up strategy to utilize opportunities passing by in their eyes..soon findeco ll be under construction and non ll be in forefront.HERB was in turkey recently and the turkish ll be building the judo centre first of its kind in Africa and soon turkish airlines will be landing in lsk thereby making business men and women to trade in turkey easily.
Good news though too late! Please make a new Copperbelt International Airport and close down Ndola Airpot.
Roads, roads, roads please!
# 35 Anti-corruption
i worked at mada hill, i repaet all companes involved were south african. the only zambians were 20pin a day unskilled labourers. Even the platerers were aliens. same at the levy cenetr park-all companes invloved are either SA or muzungu. We have many Zambian companies that are electrical, airconditioners, or data installers. The only zambians there are students or 20pin/day guys. that is why the lebanses even bring there own drivers and you think Zambians cant drive ?.
We need a pro zambian GRZ, not one more intrested in backhanders from alien companies as long as they show development.
my colleague, i share your sentiments on considering Zambian companies but i now have reservations, I work for an international company and we contracted 3 companies, a Zambian, Chinese and zimbabwean, to build the complex and housing blocks. The Zambian company asked to be paid upfront and nver finished the work. The chinese company finished long before shedule. the zimbean finished just on time. next time you want to build, who will you contract?
Zambians dont be cheated by Musokotwane,this project is a PPP and RB sons are in forfront.We head of the turkish guys when RB went on a state visit.Why then didnt we see an advert to tender for the same?its single sourcing as usaul from state house ZPPA office
I speak from authority. I can tell you that overseas companies wanting a 30 min audence with RB have to pay the Banda boys $10k. Every thing in Zambia is for sale at the expence of the common Zambian. You can call me a sellout, but i know the system and decided to come back to the UK. I have a list of companies that paid $10k to see banda.
One thing guys,zambians should not simply accept these deals. You must ensure thr are above board. Discuss and agree mode of implementation to avoid corruption. These guys are reaping just like in the privitisation time.
Ke ke ke ke @30. You felt offended because somebody spoke in vernacular? What is language if it is not just for communicating. Only a Zambian can think that Nyanja, Bemba, Lozi, Tonga, Kaonde, Lunda or Luvale is an insult. Go to South Africa, China or India and see how people there are proud of their languages. I wonder why Zambians are so brainwashed about chizungu monga ni chitundu chao. Official language?? We need to rethink this whole thing.
It’s about time LIA was modernised; it’s long overdue. Next up Livingstone.
Word of caution though. Everything should be done in a transparent manner. It would also be interesting to know how and why a Turkish developer was awarded the contract?
Lesa apale.
Are Turkish investors the best choice for this kind of investment? The answer is no. Something fishy going on here.
Just to add on, south africans can even do a better job than Turkey. That is why these MMD quacks must be flushed out of office this year.
@11 As true as the issues you raised about JKIA may be they are problems we’d much rather have at LIA.These are problems due to the successes in attracting airlines,travellers and business.Now which is worse: having a bad airport with few airlines &few travellers like LIA or a busy airport with lots of business,travellers and airlines even if it is in need of a revamp?
@nakulu no. 18.1, thanks for your mature observations. Respect to @Enka Rasha for seeing seeing the bigger picture. Zambia is ours and needs our support. Peace all.
Are we getting something comparable to OR Tambo in Johannesburg, or are they just going to slap paint on the bricks and pocket more than a handful of dollars??
Fyapakanwa naimwe!! If you follow this link which allows you to read related news, This Minister had said in June 2010 that the construction of the dual carriage way between Chingola and Kitwe would start in August 2010. Where is the construction happening? I am sick and tired of politicising the things and then nothing happens. Zambia is the only country that has an airport constructed in the 60’s. All SADC and EAC countries have modernised their airports including uncle Bob next door!! Come on Mr Musokotwane, we do not want cheap talking!
I do believe all of the ideas you’ve presented to your post. They are very convincing and will certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are very brief for beginners. May just you please prolong them a little from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.