By NOEL IYOMBWA
THE Kasomeno-Mwenda Road and Bridge project is a game changer as it will open up markets in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, Party for National Unity and Progress president (PNUP) President Highvie Hamududu has said.
Mr Hamududu said once completed the project would expand market base as farmers would start selling at higher prices hence increasing their production.
“Sometimes we need to agree across the iron, I want to agree with the PF government over the Kasomeno Mwenda Road and Bridge in Mansa into Congo.
“This is a landmark project for the people of Luapula province as it I will open the northern circuit. You will see agriculture now coming up and produce flowing into Congo and dollars coming into Zambia.
“My brother Luapula province minister Nickson Chilangwa and the people in Luapula I salute you for this project” he said.
He called on Government to continue opening up more avenues adding that the prosperity of a nation was seen from how much it exports.
Mr Hamududu was in Luapula where he had been conducting party mobilization ahead of August 12 elections.
Meanwhile, Mr Hamududu noted that in order to transform the agriculture in Luapula and the country at large, there was need to title land in villages.
He said land in villages must have the backing of the law adding that Government must make it a social provision to hand people in villages titles.
The Kasomeno-Mwenda Road Bridge project is an integrated PPP toll concession between the Concessionaire, Messrs Groupe Europeén de Development (GED) Projects Africa Zambia Limited and the Governments of Zambia (GRZ) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The concessionaire has signed separate concession agreements with the respective governments.
Key elements of the project include: 182 km of new single carriageway road. 96km of the road is situated in the DRC and 86 km in Zambia and Construction of a 345 meters cable-stayed bridge across the River Luapula.
Other components are the Construction of one-stop border posts on either side of the River Bridge with associated parking and warehousing facilities and Construction of toll plazas on both sides of the bridge.
Others are construction of four satellite toll plazas and Provision of an access road to the proposed airport at Kasenga.
