Zambia: Zambia has signed a US $76.1 million concession agreement with Jaswin Ports Ltd to develop 61 kilometres of the Mufulira-Sakania-Ndola road under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The Minister of Infrastructure and Urban Development, Charles Milupi, announced the signing of the agreement on his Facebook page on Sunday.
The project will be procured at a total cost of US$76,129,229.48 and will be completed within 22 years, including three years for construction works.
The project is a Design, Finance, Build, Operate, Maintain and Transfer (DFBOMT) of the road and associated border infrastructure.
The project scope consists of road construction cost at US$27.2 million, bridges and crossing points at US$1.1 million, Sakania border post infrastructure construction at US$19.8 million and integrated transport information system and instrumentation at US$6.3 million.
Once completed, the project is expected to improve trade and transportation between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It will also create jobs and boost economic development in the region.
The Mufulira-Sakania-Ndola road is a key economic artery in Zambia, connecting the Copperbelt Province to the DRC border. It is also a major transit route for goods and passengers between Zambia and other countries in the region.
Copperbelt benefits three major PPP road projects in less than a year as the signing ceremony for the Ndola- Sakania- Mufulira Mokambo road starts loading from Mufulira:
 Chingola- Chililabombwe-Kasumbalesa PPP Road Project is at 92% completion and will be commissioned 9 months ahead of schedule;
 Lusaka- Ndola Dual carriageway PPP project works have started exactly 6 months after the signing ceremony held in Ndola on February 28 this year, and
The signing ceremony for the Ndola-Sakania-Mufulira-Mokambo PPP Road Project is now LOADING from MUFULIRA.
Moreover, they appealed to the contractor of Ndola- Mufulira-Mokambo Road Project Jaswin Consortium to prioritize employing local people along the stretch so that they can as well benefit as per the policy direction of the New Dawn Government under Hakainde Hichilema.