The Copperbelt University Student Union – COBUSU has called for the urgent completion of stalled hostels construction, further disclosing that only about K9 million (about $530k) is need for the completion of the stalled hostels at one of the Zambia’s biggest higher institution.
Construction experts indicate that the more time is taken to complete abandoned structures, more value is being lost and that the amounts that will be needed to complete these infrastructure projects may further escalate especially after more rainy seasons of being idol.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, COBUSU President Nancy Taonga Ngwira said the Union would like to have a representative on the negotiating team if the hostels are to be completed via Public Private Partnership – PPP.
“We are lobbying for a student council representative to represent the student populous interests when making decision if it will be done under the PPP arrangement”, Ngwira told ZBT. She said the PPP which was signed for completing the hostels cannot be implemented without the University council representative who makes overall decisions for the student populous.
Ngwira said there is currently no University council representative to make that overall decision of the PPP arrangement in order to finish the government structures. The COBUSU first female President has since challenged the Ministry of Education to appoint a student council representative so that the overall decisions can be made for the constructions to resume as soon as possible.
She explained to ZBT that the money is supposed to be raised through partnership with interested companies who will be able to get back their money in the long run when students start paying for accommodation. Others say the PPP model of financing the completion will make the hostels unaffordable to majority of the students, but until the details are agreed, that’s when we can confirm.
Ngwira stated that it is the role of the student union to push the relevant authorities to ensure that the hostels are finished and for a start, the ministry of education should appoint the student representative as soon as possible if the PPP route is to be implemented.
A check by ZBT with the ministry of infrastructure shows that even the much talked about PPP for the construction of the Lusaka to Ndola dual carriage way road has had the dates for commencement moved from as early as first quarter to now approaching the fourth quarter of 2022, with no specific dates set.
