NEWS
Kazungula Bridge spells new dawn for Southern African Countries
Many stakeholders longed for the
construction of Kazungula Bridge and it must now be a relief that the project is near completion . According to Kazungula Bridge consultant and team leader of contractors Kobamelo Kgoboko , the US $ 174 million Kazungula Bridge will be handed over to the governments of Zambia and Botswana by the end of this month while the onestop border facilities in both countries will be handed over by the first week of October .
Indeed , Kazungula Bridge , straddling Zambezi River , will improve the transportation of goods and services between Zambia and Botswana and the southern region as a whole . Economic growth cannot take place without infrastructure like Kazungula Bridge .
Now that the bridge is almost complete , stakeholders must streamline border operations at Kazungula and ensure that issues of truckers getting stranded are avoided . Local and foreign truckers often complain of delays in clearance at border posts because customs and immigration officers do not bring on board the expected efficiency .
The dream of creating an efficient system through the construction of Kazungula Bridge can only be realised if all operatives at the border work according to the aspirations of a new set-up .
“ This is one of the first of its kind in the country and I would like to commend the engineers behind these works . As the board , we are impressed with what RDA has done . This is tax-payers ’ money and these facilities need to be looked after properly ,” the Road Development Agency ( RDA ) board vice-chairperson Yamfwa Mukanga .
Residents in Kazungula district also have a role to play in ensuring that the infrastructure is not vandalised . Vandalism to infrastructure is costly to
Government especially that it has to look at other competing needs in other parts of the country . Traders who will be using the facilities also have a role to play in taking care of the facilities . According to the African Development Bank ( ADB ), the project will help beneficiaries who contribute up to 60- 80 percent of the region ’ s gross domestic product ( GDP ).
Most of them are engaged in the mining , agricultural and service sectors . ADB notes that Kazungula Bridge is expected to increase opportunities for intra- and extra-regional trade activities , regional economic integration along the corridor and job creation . We hope those in business will take advantage of Kazungula Bridge by increasing exports to the region so that the governments can recoup their investments on the project to attend to other areas of need .
Kabwe Mining renewed License awarded to Jubilee Metals
Zambia ’ s Minister of Mines and
Mineral Development has reinstated the mining license for Jubilee Metals Group ’ s part-owned Kabwe project . This move serves to pave the way for Jubilee to start its joint venture partnership with BMR Group .
They have approved the renewal for ten years and is subject to several customary conditions specified by the minister .
Jubilee has also appointed Nicholas Taylor as a non-executive director with effect on October 1 . Taylor ’ s most recent executive role was as European head of
Natural Resources Investment Banking at Royal Bank of Canada from 2015 to 2016 .
Chief Executive Officer Leon Coetzer says that as Jubilee continues to drive its expansion across both its Zambian and South African operations , the renewal of the license in Zambia is an endorsement of the work that they are doing on the
ground at Kabwe and the support from government and the Department of Mines . Officer Leon also states that they have made significant progress in Zambia since the acquisition of the Sable Refinery in 2019 , particularly in recent months with Jubilee securing access to vast amounts of copper-containing surface tailings .
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