Solwezi East United Party for National Development UPND Member of Parliament Dr Alex Katakwe has disclosed that the feasibility study for the developing of the Solwezi Kipushi road and the Kipushi Border post have been concluded and the documents have since been submitted to the ministry of finance and infrastructure.
The Solwezi Kipushi road is an economic road which connects Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC in North Western province via Kipushi border Post. The project is part of the roads Government targets to do under the Private Public Partnership PPP.
Kipushi border lies about 130 kilometers east of Solwezi, the provincial capital of North-Western province. It has great potential to boost government revenue, if given the required border facility.
The need to improve the road linkage between Zambia and the DRC will not only provide export routes for commodities but also provide effective business flow between the two countries.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times, Dr Katakwe said as the area Member of Parliament with passion to see development in the District he pushed for unsolicited biding as the issue for PPP has its own long processes.
“I started pushing because this issue for PPP has its own long processes so i pushed in for unsolicited biding that means government is not spending any money for feasibility study and the ground work.” He said, right now we have advanced and the documents have since been submitted to the Minister of Finance and national planning, Road Development Agency RDA and the Ministry of infrastructure among others.
We are at the evaluation stage meaning when I submitted as a first applicant for the PPP under unsolicited for biding I took the slot and no one can come underground and push for that and beside it would take quite long.
Dr Katakwe noted that the Government evaluation processes take a little bit longer but hoped and expected that the signing ceremony should be done latest June this year 2023.
He explained that with the current state of the Border post where it is restricted and only operating on Tuesday and Fridays the country has continued losing out the much needed revenue with the current state of the road and the Kipushi border post which is currently restricted there by denying business in and out of the country through this point.
“The President has got keen interest for the road and the border post but we don’t expect these roads to be opened through finances from the Government because of the Financial Constraints. So we will not definitely see the government coming in quickly to do these kinds of roads and the development projects and that is why we Members of Parliament with passion for development we have gone the PPP way and we don’t need to wait for the President to advertise the PPP as we need to go the way I have gone which is unsolicited biding while in contact with the president through his ministry and cabinet.”
There are more advantages of the Solwezi Kipushi boarder as trucks would prefer to use the kipushi road than go through the Kasumbalesa with its bottlenecks where by the time it reaches Katimamulilo it takes about a week when it only takes about 2 days for a truck to move from Kipushi to katimamulilo boarder post.
When asked about the Constituency Development Funds, Dr Katakwe added that because of the poor road network in Mushindamo and waiting for the PPP which is likely to take long we decided as the CDF Committee to prioritize The 2023 CDF money and channelled it to the earth moving equipment.
Right now the procurement stage is done in terms of these processes at local council and they have considered at least 4 equipment that they are getting including the; compactor the Grader, scrapper and water bowser so when we get these 4 pieces we are going to open most of the feeder roads not the solwezi kipushi road because that will be taken care under the PPP.
So we are going to open most of the feeder roads and also construct some bridges and even hire out our equipment because once we start hiring our equipment like when the solwezi kipishi road construction begin the revenue that we are going to collect will be able to channel it to some of the projects that would have been halted because of the equipment.
Once the road and the border post is done Kasumbalesa business will go to half because we are more close to the main economic towns in DRC than going through to Kasumbalesa. Kasumbalesa will only be viable for trucks that are going to Tanzania, Chrundu and a bit to livingstone but once this solwezi kispushi road is done all the trucks that are going to Katimulilo even in Bostwana they would ruther use the road through Kasempa, Kaoma, Mongu, Katimamulilo and that is why the government also is in a hurry to make sure that the Solwezi Kesempa road is done.
He added that once the Kipushi boarder is opened and actualised and full-fledged, Zambia will have a lot of revenue because we have been sleeping on money because DRC can consume almost anything that is produced in Zambia so the state at which it is the boarder not being fully operational we are losing a lot of revenue. The opening up of the border post will contribute to the country’s revenue collection which will in turn the country’s social economy.
The commencement of the construction is expected after the signing ceremony and my hope and trust is that at least by the end of this year something should have begun.
The project is earmarked to cost about 485 million dollars with over 12 components that include the road, border facility, fuel storage facilities, tanks, farming blocks and the meat processing plants among others.
