Zambia lags in electric railway technology -- Prof Chirwa

.......says he developed a railway modernisation blueprint in 2011 and is ready to help Government implement an electric rail system By NATION REPORTER IT is sad that Zambia still does not have electric trains at a time when other African countries are advancing their railway systems, Professor Clive Chirwa has said. Prof Chirwa said Zambia had lost valuable time in modernising its railway infrastructure despite having a blueprint for an electric train system which he developed in 2011 and presented to Zambia Railways. Speaking in an interview yesterday from China, Prof Chirwa said the country did not need another plan but political will and commitment to implement the existing proposals. "The blueprint is already there. I've done it. I did it in 2011. What we need to do is implementation. We just need to implement it," he said. Prof Chirwa said he had designed the electric train, its supporting infrastructure and the framework for the proposed railway system. He expressed disappointment that Zambia had not made progress on the project, while claiming that Tanzania, Kenya and Ivory Coast had adopted aspects of his designs to advance their railway development. "It is very sad. When I introduced the electric train in Zambia and I designed it as well, I designed the framework, I designed the train, I designed the infrastructure, everything in 2011," he said. Prof Chirwa said Zambia could have reached a much higher level of development had the proposals been implemented. Prof Chirwa commended the current administration for its forward-looking approach to development, but said it needed technical support from experts who understood infrastructure and industrialisation. "We need to help them because many of the people who are in there, they do not understand what development is all about. But we need to help them as technocrats," he said. Prof Chirwa, who is currently in China, where he is involved in building industries and teaching students, said he remained available to offer his expertise to Zambia. "I'm ready. Anybody can call me as a technical adviser, and I will do everything for them," he said. Prof Chirwa also said he had authored a Zambian industrialisation plan which he presented to a previous administration, stating that the country needed to make better use of local expertise to accelerate development.

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