AVIC INTERNATIONAL COMMENDED

ALOCAL contractor working on the Shake Shake and Malambo roads has commended Avic International Limited for empowering local contractors.

Leekupa Construction Limited Director, Lee Mukupa, said other than subcontracting 20 percent of its works, Avic International empowered the youths through employment creation.

Mr Mukupa said his company was for instance sub contracted by Avic International on the L 400 Project on which they employed 50 workers.

He said working with Avic International on the Shake Shake and Malambo roads was experience for his company as it was able to provide materials and equipment that his company didn’t have.

“We were given a stretch of 450 metres on Malambo and Shake Shake roads, we have so far finished working on it and are now just finalizing works on the drainages,” he said.

“We have a three year contract with Avic and the good part about this partnership is that, Avic lnternational is able to help us with some equipment that we may not have as you know we are a small company,” he said.

Mr Mukupa observed that the project had also created employment opportunities for some youths.

Meanwhile, Mr Mukupa has called on local contractors to work hard once subcontracted on projects.

He said local contractors have been labelled as failures and having a poor workmanship hence the need for them to work hard.

“It's not all local contractors who abandon their works, take us, we have successfully completed all the four contracts that we were awarded and the good part is that, Avic International only pays you when you finish the works, it has worked to our advantage,” he said.

And Boncathy Construction director, Bernard Kayembe, said subcontracting local contractors on main projects helped empowers the youths with skills.

He said his company has employed 105 workers, both skilled and non-skilled.

Mr Kayembe disclosed that his company was contracted in 2017 and so far it has carried out a number of construction works on behalf of Avic International.

He commended Avic International and called on other companies to emulate it by engaging local contractors on their projects.