LUSAKA –NDOLA DUAL CARRIAGEWAY TO BE COMPLETED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE – MILUPI

By Scoop Reporter

MINISTER of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Charles Milupi says works on the Lusaka – Ndola Dual Carriageway and the Masangano-Fisenge-Luanshya Road will be completed ahead of schedule.

Works on the Lusaka-Ndola Dual Carriageway project commenced on May 21, 2024 after the ground breaking ceremony officiated by President Hakainde Hichilema. The project will cost approximately US$ 650 million.

About 865 are General Workers, 233 Plant Operators, 38 Engineers, 33 Administrators and 578 are doing other construction related jobs.

MOIC-LN Consortium Limited is undertaking works to upgrade to Dual Carriageway which is the 327 kilometres Lusaka-Ndola Road and rehabilitation of 45 kilometres of the Masangano-Fisenge-Luanshya Road under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) financing model.

The scope of works involves the construction of 327 kilometres Dual Carriageway from Lusaka to Ndola, construction of Kabwe and Kapiri-Mposhi by passes, rehabilitation of 45 kilometres of the Masangano-Fisenge-Luanshya Road, construction of two new toll plazas, construction of two weighbridges and expansion and improvement of existing bridges along the entire route.

Giving an update on the project, Mr. Milupi said works are on-going and that the project will be completed in 2026, way ahead of schedule.

“Works on the Lusaka-Ndola Dual Carriageway, including the rehabilitation of the Masangano-Fisenge-Luanshya Road, are progressing very well and are earmarked to be completed in 2026 ahead of schedule,” Mr. Milupi said.

The project is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the Government of Zambia and the Macro Ocean Investment Consortium (MOIC-LN) and the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) is a major lender to the project, providing a 13-year loan facility at an interest rate of 9.5%. NAPSA’s funding is approximately 46% of the total project cost.

The project is expected to improve connectivity between key economic points in Zambia and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

In 2018, the PF administration under then president Edgar Lungu planned to work on the same project at a cost of more than US$ 1.2 billion.

However, the Road Development Agency (RDA) halted the construction of the road and attributed the stagnation to financial constraints.