Kawambwa set for road rehabilitations
KAWAMBWA is earmarked to benefit from the 200 million united states dollars World Bank Loan for the rehabilitation and maintenance of selected rural roads across the country under the Improved Rural Connectivity Project (IRCP).
The district is among six out of the 12 districts in Luapula Province that are expected to benefit the World Bank Loan.
IRCP National Coordinator, Mwata Sekeseke said four roads with a stretch of about 67 kilometres in Kawambwa district have been approved covering Kawambwa Central and Pambashe constituencies.
Mr Sekeseke disclosed the development during the stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting which was held over the weekend.
He said the project has two components with the first being the actual works of rehabilitation and maintenance of roads and the second is meant for institutional capacity building for the Council.
The project is aimed at improving feeder roads and will also be implemented in Chipili, Mwense, Mwansabombwe, Chifunabuli and Samfya of Luapula province.
The project will be undertaken for the period of five years of which two years is for rehabilitation and three years will be for maintenance.
Mr Sekeseke said the project will support structures of economic value such as agricultural shades, water dams, markets for agricultural produce and communication tower to be determined by communities based on felt priority needs.
“The primary objective of the project is to reduce poverty through easy accessibility to road network that will translate into improved agricultural productivity in rural areas,” he noted.
And Kawambwa District Commissioner, James Kalumba said once the feeder road connectivity is improved, agriculture production and trade within the beneficiary communities will increase and result in poverty reduction.
Mr Kalumba said the IRCP Project will also help the district to attract investment around the Luena Farming Block.
President Edgar Lungu launched the extension of the IRCP in July 2020 in Mkushi Central Province to cater for Luapula province.