The Road Development Agency (RDA) has signed […]

The Road Development Agency (RDA) has signed contracts worth over K4.88 billion for the rehabilitation, upgrading and maintenance of the Livingstone-Sesheke Road and the Chipata-Lundazi Road.

According to the statement made available to ZBT, the 212-kilometre Livingstone-Sesheke Road Project has been divided into two lots, with Lot 1 valued at K1.5 billion covering the T1 Junction to the Kazungula Turn-off (Km 0-65) and Sirnungoma Turn-off to Sesheke Boma (Km 165-200), including the upgrading of 10 kilometres of township roads in Livingstone and 5 kilometres of township roads in Sesheke.

The Agency further stated that Lot 2, valued at K1.7 billion covers the remaining section of the corridor and includes the upgrading of 5 kilometres of township roads in Kazungula District and 5 kilometres of township roads in Mwandi District, with both contracts awarded to Sino-Hydro Corporation Limited in Joint Venture with Nchifar Enterprises Limited for implementation over 30 months, comprising six months of design and 24 months of construction.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Sesheke Town Council Public Relations Officer, Alex Simulunga described the contract signing as a major breakthrough for residents, saying the road project has been overdue for many years.

 “This project means a lot to the people of Sesheke because for quite some time now we’ve had a lot of challenges when travelling to Livingstone, where motor vehicles frequently break down due to the poor state of the road,” said Simulunga.

He added that the rehabilitation will significantly reduce travel time, improve cross-border business with neighbouring countries and increase local authority revenue as more trucks and travellers begin using the corridor instead of alternative routes through Botswana.

Meanwhile, the RDA has also awarded China Geo Engineering Corporation aK1.6 billion contract to rehabilitate the Chipata-Lundazi Road, covering the Km 42-90 section, periodic maintenance of the Km 90-181 stretch to Lundazi, and the upgrading of 5 kilometres of urban roads in Lumezi District and 5 kilometres in Lundazi District, with the contractor already mobilised to site following the contract’s effectiveness on 6 June 2026.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Lundazi Town Council Secretary, Innocent Mutambo said the project will drastically reduce travelling time between Lundazi and Chipata, where most government and commercial services are accessed.

“One of the biggest challenges that we have here is the time it takes someone from Lundazi to reach Chipata, so we are expecting reduced travel time, reduced transport costs and increased business opportunities once the road is upgraded,” Said Mutambo.

He added that motorists currently spend close to two hours negotiating a badly damaged section that should ordinarily take less than 45 minutes, making the project critical to the district’s economic development. Mutambo further told ZBT that although residents had hoped the project would commence much earlier, the signing of the contract has brought renewed optimism and excitement among the people of Lundazi. “We could have expected it a long time ago, but for now we are more than happy that it has been signed because it has brought a lot of joy to our people and we just hope the works will be completed as quickly as possible,” he said.

Article by Phillip Sinkala