Government says it will continue with its quest to unlock the economic potential of the country and transform its socio-economic landscape through infrastructure development.
President Edgar Lungu stated that the infrastructure development programme is part of government’s effort to transform the face of Zambia through urban revitalization.
Speaking during the official opening and commissioning of the Munali flyover Bridge, President Lungu said infrastructure development was part of government agenda and its goal to increase economic prospects for all Zambians without leaving anyone behind.
He stressed that this agenda places particular focus on the improvement of infrastructure across the country, including, the development of urban and feeder roads.
The Head of State noted that the provision of adequate and quality roads is deemed to promote mobility to the citizens and further enhance productivity, as well as, the standard of living for all.
The President is aware of the pain and stress of road users caught up in traffic congestion and the negative impact it has on productivity and economic growth.
He stated that road development improves overall accessibility and reduces transportation costs, thus, citizens will have improved access to goods and services.
“We have made huge strides in infrastructural development, yet this is only the beginning. As we transform the face of Lusaka, our country’s capital city and major economic hub, I wish to assure you that we will not leave the rest of our towns, whether urban or rural, behind,” President Lungu assured the nation.
The Head of State implored the team of engineers working on the Lusaka decongestion project, under the Ministry of Local government, to speed up the works with good workmanship so that it is completed soon.
He indicated that such projects are major contributors to the socio-economic development of the country, therefore, needs to be expedited and concluded to allow for more of similar projects to be developed in other parts of our country.
President Lungu reminded that development calls for focus, commitment and consistency in the implementation of strategies aimed at fostering social economic progress.
He disclosed that through the project, families have been enabled to earn an income and sustain their lives.
“My government, through the Lusaka decongest project, has provided entrepreneurial opportunities for various Zambian companies which have been sub-contracted by the main contractor, Afcons, to provide various services. This opportunity allows for the growth and development of small and medium sized companies which will now acquire the required skills to undertake major projects. This is indeed one way of diversifying our economy while ensuring job creation,” he noted.
President Lungu commended road users in Lusaka, the business community and the public at large for exhibiting patience, compliance and cooperation during the ongoing construction process.
India’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Ngulkhan Gangte noted that the project was being undertaken under challenging times when the world is grappling with COVID-19, hence should be considered prominent.
Mr Gangte said the project will set a benchmark for quality works because it has been constructed to the expectation of government and ahead of schedule.
He further congratulated other stakeholders involved in the construction and those who facilitated for the smooth implementation of the Lusaka City Decongestion project.
“AFcons deserves a hand of applause for the training and skills brought to Zambia along with this professional implementation,” High Commissioner Gangte indicated.
He noted that India will continue to enhance such kind of corporations and support to meet the aspirations of the people of Zambia.
The High Commissioner stated that India has not only supported Zambia in infrastructure development but also in the health sector through resources and human resources required to control the pandemic.
He was optimistic that the Lusaka City Decongestion project will address the traffic challenges as well as provide economic benefits many Zambians towards achieving the vision 2030 agenda.
And Minister of Local Government Charles Banda revealed the overall project progress made was at 95 percent completion.
Dr. Banda explained that the Munali Flyover Bridge was the third flyover bridge out of the four under the Lusaka city decongestion project.
Dr. Banda listed the Makeni flyover bridge that was officially opened to the public in August 2020, shortly thereafter, in October, 2020, the Arcades flyover bridge was officially commissioned and now the commissioning of the Munali flyover bridge.
The Minister mentioned that the two flyover bridges previously opened have greatly reduced the travel time and improved safety for road users.
He added that the Munali roundabout will further improve the traffic situation along the great east road seeing that it has been a major traffic bottleneck along the Great East road.
“The overall project progress has been remarkable. The project is currently at 95% completion with 93 kilometers of road network paved up to final asphalt layer. The project is expected to be completed ahead of schedule by June 2021,” Dr. Banda indicated.
He acknowledged President Lungu’s support in the implementation of the Lusaka City Decongestion project that has led to smooth completion.
Serious countries like Kenya and Nigeria are commissioning modern SGR railways while this joker Lungu commissions a simple flyover bridge?
Rome was not built in one day, it’s a process. I’m sure a few years back you were pointing at just poor roads in the country. It starts to happen you start pointing to other things. I’m sure chibaba with your Under 5.
Problem is utupuba talatalika sana.
PF time out.
Lusaka stock exchange stagnant.
“When a town or city needs money for projects like building bridges, repairing roads or developing streets and parks, the town or city can borrow money by issuing a bond. A bond is an agreement between a government agency or company and an investor. … Companies can also raise money using stocks.”
PF time out. You just want to enrich yourselves.
“Some Treasury bonds trade in the secondary market. Individual investors, working with a financial institution or broker, can buy and sell previously issued bonds through this marketplace.“
PF, how do we get to buy treasure bonds?
PF time out.
Kindly take some of that development to rural parts of the country.
How can you be proud of such monstrosity as these fly over bridges. No facilities for bikes or pedestrians whatsoever
“The Head of State implored the team of engineers working on the Lusaka decongestion project, under the Ministry of Local government, to speed up the works with good workmanship so that it is completed soon.”
These Engineers are Indians as this is funded via an Indian Exim Bank loan why cant you highlight this….these designs were done in India benefiting the skilled labour there and the subcontracts to local firms are only less than 20% which maybe just labouring and painting…we are just going to pay back this loan. This is Lazy Lungu’s govt no shame at all.
We are going to pay for all these hideous eyesores valued at $260 million to the Indians ….really sad…shame on you Lazy Lungu I hope you live long enough to tormented with court cases. You crook of friend Zingman has been arrested in DRC
What was shown to us at Design stage is totally different to what’s on the ground …its likened to a baker showing you a four layer wedding cake only to be presented with loaves of bread on your wedding day!!
These thieves have no mercy!!
When the game starts, where wil the the hhBALLS SONTAPO.
Not even a photo of the so called fly over.
Substandard journalism.
You guys, I was there. It was such a momentous day. A great feat for development. Lusaka is looking good just like kitweand many other areas in Zambia. Pf has worked really hard and will continue to do so after August. Upnd diasporans why again did you move to diaspora when Zambia is now just as developed? Plus here we don’t experience racism like you do there. We hear they are making it harder for asylum seekers like you to seek help there in UK.
@1.
IT’S PERFECTLY OK RIGHT TO COMMISSION WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME. IN THE UNIP AND MMD GOVERNMENTS THERE WAS LITTLE OR NOTHING TO COMMISSION. SO THIS IS A BIG THING IN OUR CASE. YOU CAN’T COMMISSION WHAT YOU CANNOT AFFORD BABA. THOSE GUYS STARTED A LONG WAY BACK. WE ONLY STARTED THESE THINGS WITH THE PF GOVERNMENTS. SO BABA WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO COMMISSION? MWILABOSELA FYE KUNSE YA CHALO. PEOPLE LIKE YOU- EVEN THE COMMISSIONING OF THE TWO NEW AIRPORTS AND THE KAZUNGULA BRIDGE I AM PRETTY SURE YOU WILL DOWN-RATE THE OCASSION. OH, NO. BECAUSE A FOREIGN PRESIDENT (BOTSWANA) WIL BE THERE I AM PRETTY SURE YOU WILL RESPECT THE OCCASION. WHAT I CALL SELF-HATE.
I AM PROUD OF MY COUNTRY, I LOVE ALL MY PEOPLE AND I ALSO LOVE THE DEVELOPMENTS TAKING PLACE IN MY COUNTRY. I NEVER SAW SUCH MAGNITUDE OF DEVELOPMENTS IN MY LIFE TIME UNTIL PF CAME TO POWER. I USED TO THINK ROADS TOOK A LIFE TIME OF A HUMAN BEING TO FINISH BUILDING. OH! NO I WAS WRONG. BUT THIS IS BECAUSE I NEVER SAW A MAJOR ROAD BEING CONSTRUCTED BEFORE PF.
STONE AGE REPORTING- NO IMAGE(S) OF THE BRIDGE.
“The company launched its massive constellation, with one major goal: to connect the globe. To that end, SpaceX designed a fleet of flat paneled broadband satellites that will fly over the Earth, providing users across the globe with internet coverage. In particular those in rural and remote areas who otherwise would not have connectivity.”
PF time out.
The costs should have been from mostly ‘own’ resources – produced by major industries (not much of these exist – only retail) through
exports and corporate tax. Not heavy reckless borrowing for a country that’s not producing. These ‘structures’ cannot even be connected to real economic activity and are mostly in Lusaka. Rural areas look like in the 1950’s – some have even worsened under the PF years. The buying power is lower for most – no employment generation strategies or provision of a good viable business climate for the youth. You give out short-lived expendable handouts and call them ’empowerment’. – when we know they are election bribes which cannot be sustained under this regime.
Lungu care for Zambians but you know what happens to good leaders or Prophets in their home towns. Ise ni Pabwato
Sontapo iwe
We are working and they are talking. Keep on yapping whilst work is going. Only those who were there in 90s will say the country has developed and proudly saying the Government has really worked in changing the face of our country. I have reserved my vote for PF come August 21.
THIS IS REALLY GOING TO HELP THE VUNERABLE ………..
TALKING WILL CONTINUE TILL THE LOWER END OF SOCIETY BEGINS TO BENIFIT
DEVELOPEMENT ALL AR*E ABOUT FACE
TIME TO CHANGE THAT AROUND
Are you guys seeing what I am seeing? There literally no people except carders even them in smaller numbers. This is a signal people…..
That’s why you cry foul when you lose, such misplaced perceptions.
You guys, I was there. It was such a momentous day. ????????????????????????????? ABOSLUTE RUBBISH MOMENTOUS FOR A SELECT FEW
YOU CAN LIKEN THIS TO BUYING A NEW BORN BABY A CAR
OR FIRST YOU HAVE TO CRAWL BEFORE YOU CAN WALK
PRIORITIES ALL WRONG
pF OUT
How much did lungu get
@Luapula Premier
GO BACK TO SLEEP BROTHER JUST MAKE SURE YOUR POCKETS ARE FULL
AS THE DROUGHT IS COMING FOR YOU GUYS
Stop showing off , you have failed to pay back that borrowed money used for those projects ………
Any body in the streets can build those things with borrowed money…….if you include failing to pay back the same borrowed money , only lungu and a group of failures is included in that grouping……
Sorry guys to spoil the celebrations…but let me remind all that the true owners of all these infrastructure are coming to take them away, since we owe them billions. Now if they cant own them than they will take over our other assets such as mines and reap much much more than they actually ploughed in. Whose fault is this? Its like you buy a house with bank money and show it off to your friends only to be grabbed with all the interest in a couple of years as you failed to pay back.
Now that LT have added pictures you can see clearly what a rip off all these structures are …merely humps of concrete erected over a roundabout even our Engineers could do this EIZ should be ashamed of themselves. This is more debt that will be paying and these morons like Lazy Lungu will never pay a single cent as they will be living in Swaziland enjoying their loot.
Agony is pretending to be in Zambia yet it is in UK talking about development knowing deep down the structures in Zambia are obsolete and overpriced …to expose itself further it has nothing to post but include UK local news about immigration.
why not just call them passover bridges. do cars fly?
Interesting to read the comments. A road is completed and it is a talk of the day. Others are celebrating breakthroughs in cutting age technologies, ifwe a normal work of construction is headline news. This for me should be normal as part of a government tasks. We should not use such as a weapon to mobilize for votes.. Thank you govt of India for assisting us and managing the project well.
Humps to no where, do you know there are places in rural areas that need bridge and people have to walk across water.
KZ, you say you were there….. Why? Don’t you have a job that needs your attention? Oh, I know, you are one of these PF cadres who has been assigned a job that doesn’t need any WORK to be done, just receipt of the monthly salary
I used to wonder why Zambia was failing to think positively and the president has no clue what is needed to fix the sufferings of Millions of Zambia and not make rich the few PF cadres and government officials until when I was told the background education of the Advisor to the President was a person called Keizer Zulu who didn’t have any university background.
It is the duty of the Government to provide social services to its citizen at realistic prices and not inflated prices to due to the corruption that has never been seen in Zambian history before.
I challenge Kaizer Zulu to tell us how he made his millions of US dollars for him to employ people to be postings comments on Social media as his media team.
At times its better to keep quite and not taken Zambians for fools.
Blind PF cadres call this development in Lusaka. Yet in the same city over 2,000 families were affected by floods due to poor drainage and planning in the townships.
THE DANGERS OF ILLITERACY .
@ Tarino. This lazy lungu’s mercenary partner was arrested in DRC. He supplies weapons.
Now what business deal was lungu and Findlay involved in. Photo of them three are open in the media. News diggers had a headline story yesterday.
Bunch of crooks. This thief needs to be arrested after august 12 for stealing millions of dollars and properties he had been buying offshore through proceeds of crime.
Lungu was born a thief. Pity the fool
@WISE TIMING
PICS are coming.
Zambians should not make same mistake they did on FTJ. All economies in the world are suffering. Where will the new leader start from?
Long live LUNGU AND the may SATAS DREAMS live longer in our memories.
Very poor designs.
What a missed opportunity.
I am not sure this flyover can withstand heavy trucks.
This structure will not last 6 months. Mark my words on this.
Why are the lanes so narrow? We have drunkards in Zed that do not have lane discipline.
Chikonko in the upnd camp. Come I give you a hug hahaha. Why are upnd diasporans bothered when they no longer Zambian and will never use these roads. Go and be angry with the old people abusing you there in care homes. Mwaya abroad ukupipa amafl
Okay this one is in the bag. Next we want to see a proper motorways linking all provinces and the standards must be set very high. Let’s give credit where it’s due. The president has actually delivered more than expected. Just a shame that we have to wait every 4 years to see any meaningful development. Please crack down on thieving civil servants, do a life style to earnings audit to plug the hole on revenue leakage. Finish KK international airport and upgrade Kaunda square with a towering statue and pedestrian precinct for the man who made it possible for all of us.
CONGRATULATIONS YOUR EXCELLENCE FOR DEV ELOPMENT OF LUSAKA ROADS.
QUESTION:
SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT NOT TURN TO MAJOR ECONOMIC ROADS SUCH AS:
DUAL CARRIAGE BETWEEN CITIES
LIVINGSTON TO LUSAKA
LUSAKA TO NDOLA ?
THE MONEY SENT ON DECONGESTING LUSAKA MAY HAVE GONE A LONG WAY ON DUAL CARRIAGE WAY INFRASTRUCTURE WHICH IS OUR ECONMIC DEVELOPMENT LIFE LINE .
Some of you may have seen the malicious article published by those dogs at zambian watchdog. Apparently I have a Russian wlfe and child. I think even a confused man would know that such an article is inaccurate and a bunch of lies. This is reason why we are introducing cyber bill. Zambia watch dog know that their days are numbered when this bill is enacted. So they are now trying to tarnish my name because I fought hard to bring this bill to the table.
Job well done your excellence, know we what to see agriculture take its tall so know one will be talking poverty?
Cheap Rubbish. Fly Over Bridge is not an achievement. This is Normal Road maintenance work. Why would Zambians honestly get excited with this nonsense? The whole President commissioning a Bridge, closing the Main road for about 7 hours? This is pathetic and dunderhead thinking.
Crooks would never recommend you. They are full of jealous and envy.
Way to go ECL.
Zambians know that it’s PF 100%, ECL 100%, Elite Zambians 100%, Zambia overdrive 100%, Development 100%, Empowerment 100%, more Money in the pockets with hard work 100%.
Sonta iwe!
This is excellent! I got stuck on Great East road from Manda Hill Mall filling station to Avondale turn off at 6pm on my last visit to Zambia for THREE HOURS! It was a nightmare. Imagine how people going home from work suffered. Let’s give credit where credit is due. I’m actually surprised that there are people criticizing this development. It makes me wonder what their agenda really is. It can’t be lack of education or reasoning if they can blog.
When government started talking about the desire and plan to under take this project ba under5 said ati bufi…Now that we have seen the project with our very own eyes..Ba under5 supporters kaya
Indeed, infrastructural development will help to attract commercial investment in Zambia.
I am telling you, no development could be possible if Mr. President had refused to lead this country. He has indeed transformed Zambia completely.
Better-connected roads, flyovers, and highways not only save our time and energy but also save our fuel.
Yes!!! President Lungu transformed the face of Zambia through urban revitalization. This is known as a true development of a country.
Earlier, people were in pain and stress due to traffic congestion. But now, traffic is a thing of the past.
The flyover is beautiful. Can’t wait to travel over it!
Another milestone added to the history of Zambia. Beautiful!!!!!
Our great and hardworking leader is committed to bringing economic development to the country. Long Live President Lungu!
When we drive through flyovers and highways, it feels like we are living in another developed country. Thank you President Lungu.
The country’s development could be impossible if our government was fraud and corruption. Hard work speaks for itself.
Some Zambians are so ungrateful that they even despise positive developments taking place in country. If you can’t see the benefits the flyover bridges have done in reducing the traffic jams in our capital city, then you need phyco counseling. For the first time since independence, we are seeing beatiful pedestrian and cyclist tracks accompanying these developments. No government in the world can accomplish all the citixens’ desires in just ten years. Hats off to the PF government for a thieving what other governments failed to do in their more twenty years in power but you’ve done so much in less than ten years. Complaints are mere jealous expressions for your achievements.
Thank you for this fly over bidge project in munali, Your Excellence, I propose that the same Indian company can be given floods prevention project in Lusaka. New Delhi and Lusaka have the same topography but the floods are controlled. I hope they could do a good job to stop floods by working on the drainage system in Lusaka city. In New Delhi the drainage system is excellent. I submit.
Thank you