The paradox that the North Western Province finds itself in were the region is currently the biggest and perhaps the richest contributor to Zambia’s copper production and yet its infrustructure and levels of investments ploughed back into the region is paltry – seems to depict the very situation that Zambia at international level – as a country – finds itself in.
Permanent Secretary – PS for the North Western Province has regretted that the province has not seen much needed development despite the province having been blessed with so much mineral wealth and resources and currently being the hub of copper production in Zambia.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times –ZBT – North Western Province Permanent Secretary Col Gladson Wishikoti Katambi said the province expects to be one of the most developed following the change of Government.
Katambi said the major contributing factor to the under development of the province is politics the way they are played. He lamented that North Western Province has always been regarded as the strong hold of the (UPND) ruling party, so now the situation has changed. He said most of the projects that were supposed to be given to the province failed because of politics.
Katambi said Government should look into the matter and ensure that projects such as building of a Public university in the province which has been a song for some time and there has not been any concrete indication that that is about to take off should be put as a priority.
“The talk has been there for so many years because in the early days of the late President Kenneth Kaunda – May his Soul rest in peace, I think the province was one of the first province to be considered to have a public university which was supposed to carter for agriculture and other related studies.”
“But then things did not go well hence ending up scraping off the plan and the money ended up in other provinces and since then, there has just been talks.” He said. Katambi noted that so far, there is no so of the needed much development that one can point out in the province despite having big mining companies in the province.
“Despite what the province contribute to the national treasury, there is nothing to point at. And if you come and look at Solwezi General Hospital which is in a poor state and yet the hospital is just situated 2 metres away from the main road the leads to Kansanshi mine were most of the copper is coming from.”
He stated that one wonders where the money has been going to when it was expected that some of the money generated is supposed to be shared among communities. “We hope that the government will be able to look at some of the projects that the province did not benefit so that the province can now develop under the new government.”
“We are not saying everything must come here, I think that would be unfair, all we are saying is that we lack in so many things not because there were no resources but now that there is new government we pray that what we contribute benefits our local community in the province.”
“Mind you, North Western contributes water to the turbines at Kafue and Kariba they use water from North Western and on top of that, the copper that has been talked about most of it come from this province.”
What is shocking is that North Western Province has also seen its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo – DRC at Kipushi not being developed despite it having a clear business case even under PPP. The road which is only about 100 kilometers but can deliver millions of dollars in revenue has also not been turned into bituminous standard.
North Western Province is home to Kasanshi mine, Kalumbila Trident Mine, Lumwana Mine and the recently announced USD1.3 billion Nickel mine. The province also has other small and medium scale mines and boasts of housing the source of one of Zambia’s largest river – Zambezi.
With the new policy where the president is saying let where those resources come from benefit first the communities of that area, I think that is a very good idea and something that will put the province at par. It remains to be seen if the UPND government negotiations with the large scale mine owners will be any better to deliver visible infrustructure and community development in the province.
