President Edgar Lungu says the commissioning of the 397 million United States dollar Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe international Airport is a key milestone in the transport subsector and the energy sub sector as the country continues in the journey to reposition Zambia as a major aviation hub in Africa.
President Lungu said the Patriotic Front (PF) government set out the seventh national development plan to make the transport sector attain development and this has come to fruition as the new airport is commissioned.
The Head of State said the commissioning of the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe airport is part of the wider economic agenda set out by the PF government to transform the country through infrastructure development.
Speaking during the official commissioning of the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe airport in Ndola, President Lungu said government would on Monday commission the new Kenneth Kaunda international airport in Lusaka.
He also said government would soon embark on another ambitious project, which is turning the Lusaka-Ndola highway into a dual carriageway.
He said this project would help reduce accidents on the high way and give business to contractors who will also employ many young people.
He said the project commenced at the Kenneth Kaunda international airport and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe international airport are pivotal in facilitating the country’s tourism and the industrialization agenda.
He said the infrastructure is key in elevating the development agenda to another level adding that the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport has been constructed on a government-to-government bond facilitated by the Exim bank of China.
He thanked the Chineses president, Xi Jinping and the people of China for providing the necessary financing for the infrastructure.
He said the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe international Airport is in close proximity to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s Katanga province and will therefore improve business between the two countries, as there is a lot of business in Katanga.
He said Government is fully committed to driving the country’s development agenda and harnessing the country’s economic potential.
He mentioned that during the phase of the project, 3023 direct jobs were created and 1478 direct jobs were created adding that local contractors benefited through sub-contracting from Avic International, the main contractors .
He noted that as Zambia Airports Corporation Limited commences operations, there will be opportunities for businesses such as retail outlets, restaurants and duty-free shops in the terminal apart from the hotel which is an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to do business.
