Charles Milupi
EACH AND EVERY ROAD IS ECONOMICALLY VIABLE AND IMPORTANT BUT RANKED DIFFERENTLY
Allow me, in the first place, to thank Fr Evans Miti of the Catholic Diocese of Chipata, and the good people of Chipata, Chadiza and Vubwi districts in the Eastern Province, for having keenly followed our recent inspection tour of roads and other public infrastructure in three provinces of our country.
For us to undertake that inspection tour, it is confirmation of the seriousness we attach to addressing the bad state of our roads and other public infrastructure countrywide. We had to see for ourselves so that when we start devising ways to address the deplorable state of our road network, we do so from a well-informed position.
We, therefore, note with great appreciation, the concerns raised by our fellow citizens following our remarks about the ‘viability’ of the Chipata-Vubwi Road. Let me state here that all roads contribute to the growth of the country’s economy, hence economically viable.
However, in the area of road sector management, there is what is referred to as the core road network, which the New Dawn administration will work on using the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model. Chipata-Vubwi Road is an economically-viable road but it is not commercially-viable in so far as inclusion on the list of roads to be done through the PPP Model is concerned. We were speaking from the context of the PPP Model vis-a-vis management of the core and feeder road network.
To this end, describing a road as not being commercially-viable within the context of the PPP Model, is not the same as saying that road is not going to be worked on or less important. The Chipata-Vubwi Road, and any other road falling within that category, will definitely be worked on by your government as a matter of economic necessity. We note that, sadly, this important road project was procured in 2011 under the Link Zambia 8000 Road Project but it has remained in a deplorable state all these years. It is our public duty to do the needful and work on that economically-viable road. Thanks so much.