The World Bank has agreed to finance construction of rural roads in all the 10 provinces under the USD$200,000,000.00 Improved Rural Connectivity road Project (IRCP).
Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Minister Charles Milupi says this is gratifying in view that initially, the World Bank was providing financing to only 6 of the 10 while the remaining 4 provinces where supposed to be funded by the Government of Zambia.
The Minister said it is satisfying that the Bank will provide funding to the road project whose objective is to improve road accessibility for rural communities in selected parts of the country as while as strengthen institutional capacities of road sector stakeholders for sustainable management of rural roads.
Mr. Milupi was speaking at his office when the IRCP team briefed him on the operations of the project.
“It is a gratifying to hear that the World Bank will now fund construction of rural roads in all parts of the country. You will agree with me that all rural areas in the country require good roads for easy movement of goods and services especially Agriculture products,” Mr. Milupi said.
He went on to say that it is not a secret that the Government was having challenges in accessing funds and it was going to be very difficult to fund road works in the 4 provinces.
And the Minister has directed the Road Development Agency (RDA) to ensure that procurement of roads is cost effective.
He said the RDA is a professional body and should be able to help government by ensuring that there is efficiency and transparency in the procurement of road projects so that government does not lose money unnecessarily.
“Under the New dawn government of President Hakainde Hichilema, we are determined to ensure that there is value for money on all public works being procured. I can assure you that the President is committed to this and so are all of us his Ministers.” Mr. Milupi said.
And IRCP National Coordinator Mwata Sekeseke said the World Bank has agreed to finance works in the 4 provinces which were supposed to be funded by the Government.
He said earlier the World Bank had agreed to fund works in 6 Provinces which included Central, Eastern, Luapula, Northern, Muchinga and Southern Provinces.
Mr. Sekeseke said Lusaka, Western, North-Western and Copperbelt Provinces where supposed to be financed by the Government.
He also told the Minister that so far the World Bank has disbursed USD$38,915,687.27 of the USD$200,000,000.00.
This is according to a statement issued by the ministry’s public relations officer Jeff Banda