After initially raising corruption allegations over the payment of the initial 15% counterpart funding towards the construction of the $223 million FTJ Luapula University, Government has now officially canceled the contract together with a host of other Chinese funded projects.
According to a statement issued by Secretary to the Treasury Felix Nkulukusa, the FTJ Luapula University Project which was supposed to be completed with 85% funding amounting to US$191 million from the Industrial Commercial Bank of China with the Ministry of Education as the implementing agency.
The FTJ University construction project together with a host of other Chinese funded projects have been put on ice and included on a comprehensive list that has been made available to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT.
Other notable projects that have been cancelled include phase 2 of Smart Zambia, the Chalala Barack which will he scaled down into a military officers housing complex, suspension of modernization of the local terminal (which used to be the main terminal), rehabilitation of urban roads phase 3.
Former Secretary to Cabinet Fredson Yamba and former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education have all been dragged to court on corruption and procedural related charges after the change of government.
The two were accused of diverting the funds but it later emerged that the payments were done by the central bank – BOZ which confirmed that they had all the details on which entity and the respective bank details to which the funds were remitted to. It remains to be seen now that the contract has been cancelled whether these accusations were only meant to justify this cancellation.
See earlier article done by ZBT on the FTJ Universiry which was meant to be built under government plans to have at least one public university in each of the ten provinces to provide equal opportunities for all citizens residing in any of the provinces as far as higher education opportunities are concerned. See link BOZ can reveal who received FTJ University payment , Former Secretary to the treasury Yamba to give his side of the story concerning FTJ university in Court and Former Finance Minister Mutati backed FTJ university payment
Instead of abandoning projects such as FTJ University, the new dawn administration should have instead proceeded to build or upgrade existing institutions into public universities in the other provinces such as the planned King Lewanika University in Western Province and plan for new public universities in Southern, North Western and Eastern Provinces.
