The government plans to engage the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) on extending financing to rehabilitate and expand 746 kilometers of road between Lusaka and the Angola border, Infrastructure and Housing Development Minister Charles Milupi has disclosed.
Milupi, who is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia meeting with BADEA executives, said this morning that the state of the 746-kilometer Lusaka-Kalabo-Sikongo-Angola Border corridor and its significance to regional trade and connectivity had been brought to BADEA’s attention.
BADEA is already financing the Kalabo-Sikongo-Angola road with a US$50 million concessional loan.
Milupi said BADEA had been assured of the government’s commitment to ensuring that the funds are judiciously used on the indicated project with clear outputs.
“..the more reason we were having that engagement to ensure that all matters relating to the implementation of the project are agreed upon to facilitate speedy implementation of the Kalabo-Sikongo-Angola Border Road rehabilitation project,” he said.
Milupi stated that Zambia added to the discussion the Lusaka leg of the road. “In order for this corridor to perform to its full potential of connecting Zambia to its neighboring countries and to act as a conduit for the transportation of international cargo and bulk commodities in the region, three sections on the corridor will soon require rehabilitation works.”
These are the 408-kilometer Lusaka-Tateyoyo Gate Road, which requires expansion in some sections and rehabilitation in others. The 177-kilometer Katunda-Mongu section and the 40-kilometer Tapo-Kalabo sections require rehabilitation.
Milupi says the Kalabo-Sikongo-Angola Border Road is a critical infrastructure and part of the Lobito Corridor. It promises to enhance regional connectivity and promote economic growth.
