President Edgar Lungu has expressed happiness with progress made with the construction of the Kazungula Bridge, saying he is optimistic that the project will be completed on schedule.
President Lungu is also hopeful that once completed, the project will facilitate increased trade activity, and improve the integration of the Zambia and Botswana economies, as well as enhance intra-regional trade within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and beyond.
The Head of State has also assured that government will be fulfilling all financial obligations made with the contractor.
ZANIS reports that after attending the Kasane Elephant Summit in Botswana on Tuesday, President Lungu and regional leaders took the long trip to inspect progress on the multi-million-dollar Kazungula Bridge in Kasane.
The Kazungula Bridge project is a multi-national project in the North-South Corridor and is part of an infrastructure improvement programme that covers the whole corridor.
Meanwhile, President Edgar Lungu says the prospect of an-ever increasing impact of human–elephant conflicts, remains a source of concern for respective governments in the elephant populated Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier (KAZA) region .
President Lungu has also urged KAZA member states to explore solutions to minimise the prospects of such occurrences and incentives for communities to have increased tolerance for animals.
He however noted that many communities across various wildlife sanctuaries are benefiting from community involvement in wildlife conservation.
ZANIS reports that President Lungu said this during the Kasane Elephant Summit held under the theme “Towards a common vision for managing Africa’s elephants” in Botswana on Tuesday.
President Lungu further urged the delegates to aspire for a thriving environment where community livelihoods, survival of elephants and connectivity of habitats are secured for the benefit of the people in the region.
He explained that local communities and various cooperating partners have invested heavily in workable conservation policies, strategies and laws, in order to ensure that the region maintains its place on the great tourism and conservation maps of the world.
“I therefore, reassure you all of my unwavering commitment to this undertaking, because this is where the economic, social and environmental dimensions or the three pillars of sustainable development meet”, President Lungu said.
President Lungu informed the delegates that the region is meeting at a time when the Southern African region is poised for another monumental development (Kazungula Bridge) which is expected to greatly improve accessibility to the region and its surrounding wildlife sanctuary.
“The Monumental Kazungula bridge development and its one-stop border facilities will change the place of this part of our region and improved business facilitation and quick transit”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Elephant Summit has proposed elephant management measures which include, ensuring that management of elephants is adaptive, regularly provide information on elephant numbers and ensuring that there is a continuous assessment of the elephant’s impact in relation to settlement developments.
And President of the Republic of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi whose country is largely affected by human-elephant conflict, called for the speedy implementation of the summit’s resolutions.
Dr Masisi, noted that for conservation efforts to bear fruits, there is need to agree on International engagement frameworks.
He complained that it is evident that arguments for sustainable utilization of wildlife resources which the region has in abundance, are being countered on multiple fronts.
The Summit was attended by four KAZA Heads of State, who include President Lungu, President Masisi as a host and Chairman of the summit, Namibia’s Head of State and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Chairman Hage Geingob and Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe.
Others were Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Wildlife Conservation Agencies, the international press and African elephant specialist groups.
It is estimated that Africa has over 500 000 elephants, with Botswana alone housing over 200, 000, making it the biggest home to elephants in Southern Africa.
The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier (KAZA) supports the largest surviving Elephant populations on the continent, currently estimated to exceed 300, 000.
Let’s roll
Finish so we can be driving through. Enough of pontoons & paying.
We will put toil gates on the bridge so that the bridge finances it’s self.
Let’s roll what?? He is failing to pay our bit for the remaining part he had to “borrow” from Botswana
Engineering is reality. Panse na VAT / Sales tax, the unending foolish Arguments.
Have we paid our share?
Nope! Pf govt is broke.
It was settled Mwape! $16MILLION.
Hunter the man, check the facts.
Innuendo,
Don’t bother with UPND cadres on social media. Hunter the boy will spread any kind of rumor even against his own mother just to give HH a chance a breathing statehouse air.
LAZY LUNGU can not keep up with a mere $20 million installment payment but he is flying around the country in a brand new 10 seater $80 million GulfStream jet!!
We thank God for that!
PF government at working doing what other governments failed to do, after your term in 2026, tukalanda ati kwali abaume ba Edger Changwa Lungu.
@4 Pio, you must be ashamed of yourself!! This bridge has been on cards for a long time NOT that other Presidents failed but circumstance did not allow it be constructed. KK, THE TRUE UMWAUME WHO BELIEVED IN REGIONAL INTEGRATION HAD PROPOSED THIS BRIDGE BUT THAT TIME BOTSWANA WAS NOT READY FOR IT! The abaume you are talking about has squandered money he is even failing to pay for this bridge, we had to bailed out by Botswana who covered our share otherwise the contractor was going to stop, ati abaume?!
AS usual an ignorant cadre posts a comment…do you know when negotiates for this bridge started? You are just as ignorant as your thick President Lazy, he has even brought on board Zimbabwe who refused to part of this project.
Ba LT we need more pictures than that. Arial views and all noti just from your cellphone
At least there has been an effort by LT to give us something fresh in terms of pictures. Keep it up.
President Lungu is a very serious man and he deserves all our votes because I never knew that in my lifetime I could see the massive infrastructure development taking place. All these are a sign of visionary and transnational leader. With the massive infrastructure in place, the much needed employment opportunities abound. The next thing PF Government needs to seriously embark on religiously is Agriculture by shifting focus to the Northern, Luapula, Central and Eastern Belts where all the climatic conditions favors agriculture and I know this is very achievable. Zambia is NOT a poor country but instead extremely rich and all it needs is the drive. If President Lungu can transform Lusaka into a modern city, certainly he can do it in Agriculture. Let those delegated to this serious economic…
Have you seen how destructed our roads are? Have you been to Solwezi? Do you go to Kitwe or Ndola?
contd
If President Lungu can transform Lusaka into a modern city, certainly he can do it in Agriculture. Let those delegated to this serious economic sector wake and start working. The much needed FOREX is in Agriculture and we have everything others dont so what are waiting for?