NOT THE BEST DEAL, CANCEL LUSAKA-NDOLA DEAL
Zambians are agreeable that the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage way must be DONE as soon as practicable. Both lives and goods have been lost incessantly on this road over the past years. “Renowned Comedian Mr Sinkala Brighton and Businessman Carlos Sakangombe are among the many that have lost their lives on this road.”
The immediate uproar amongst our people is on the HOW the deal must be STRUCTURED and on WHO is getting maximum BENEFITS from it. Zambians don’t want a repeat of the KCM-VEDANTA or the MOPANI-GLENCORE deals that have principally benefited foreign companies than Zambians.
The minister of Infrastructure, Honourable Charles Lubasi Milupi in his clarifications on the deal has made it clear that the contractor will borrow money from NAPSA and Workers Compensation and then share the toll fees with Government for 22 years after the initial 3 years of construction.
The above deal would have been more ideal if the concessionaire was bringing his OWN MONEY. The “local borrowing aspect” especially from government wholly owned entities AUTOMATICALLY REMOVES the aspect of a THIRD PARTY and the 22 years collection of toll fees concession by a private foreign company.
Hence our position as GPZ, that NAPSA must hire directly a contractor to construct the road for them so that the toll fees amassed remain in Zambia and for Zambians as they (NAPSA) have done on shopping malls and other businesses. That will be the best deal for the Government and the people of Zambia under the circumstances.
With feasibility studies putting the commercial tolling value on the Lusaka-Ndola road projected at $100 million a year once constructed and adding 3 new toll gates to the already existing ones. The foreign companies will recover and pay NAPSA within a few years and live to recover an estimated $1.3 BILLION IN PROFITS. Surely that is not the best of deals a government can go in when money is locally sourced.
It is for this reason that we call on the President Hakainde Hichilema and his Government to cancel the current Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage way deal and replace it with the best one possible.
GPZ, Our People First
Silavwe Jackson
President
GPZ
*06:03:23