{"id":4096,"date":"2025-01-28T20:31:17","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T20:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rda.org.zm\/?p=4096"},"modified":"2025-02-01T21:55:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T21:55:29","slug":"infrastructure-housing-and-urban-development-minister-unveils-rda-board-of-directors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rda.org.zm\/?p=4096","title":{"rendered":"INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTER UNVEILS RDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\n
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Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Minister, Hon. Eng. Charles Lubasi Milupi today unveiled the newly appointed Road Development Agency (RDA) Board of Directors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eng. Mulchand Kuntawala has been reappointed as the RDA Board of Directors Chairperson for the next three years and the Vice Chairperson is Dr. Ngoza C. Munthali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Other Board Members include, Mr. Mulilo D. Kabesha SC; Mrs. Banji Miyoba Ng\u2019andu; Eng. Clive Khan;Ms. Namwaka Nachilongo; Mr. Daniel Mtonga; and Eng. Amon Mweemba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hon. Eng. Milupi stated that the Government expected the Board of Directors to settle immediately and start performing the functions for which they have been appointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am aware that most of you have been part of the RDA Board before and it is the expectation of the Government that you hit the ground running. It is further expected that continuity must be combined with change as we need also to infuse new ideas that will propel the Agency to greater heights,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Meanwhile, Hon. Eng. Milupi says the road infrastructure in the country is in dare need of rehabilitation and has directed that a three-year plan be developed with the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Complete rehabilitation of the existing trunk roads either through Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) or Public Private Partnership (PPP) Models;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Consider the dualisation of all trunk roads to facilitate easy movement of people, goods and services;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Upgrading all road connectivity to all districts through bituminous standard roads;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Make new road connections that will ease the movement of people, goods and services from one point of the country to another, for example, it should be possible for people to travel from North Western Province to Lusaka without passing through Copperbelt and from Muchinga to Eastern Province without passing through Lusaka;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Develop a strategy to deal with the damage to bridges and culverts due to flooding; and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Within six months, develop new standards for roads and bridges that will respond to climate change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Eng. Kuntawala said the Board would continue employing new strategies to boost the effective and efficient delivery of key road and bridge infrastructure projects initiated by the New Dawn Government in its quest to transform the country’s economic fortunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eng. Kuntawala assured the Minister that the Board and Management of the RDA and other stakeholders would continue to seek sustainable financing solutions in the road sector to ensure that the 40,454 kilometres Core Road Network is in a motorable state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Core Road Network is the rationalized network which when improved will spur socio-economic development and contribute to poverty reduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reassured the Minister that the Agency in collaboration with other state institutions, will continue to leverage on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) by identifying key road links which are economically viable but were in a poor state and required urgent construction or rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eng. Kunatwala pledged to pursue and uphold the directive by the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, to ensure that the mandate of construction and rehabilitation of public roads was within the confines of procuring goods, services and works at the right price, delivery to specified quality and timelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe RDA working with the National Council for Construction (NCC) will pursue the directive of building adequate capacity among local contractors in the road sector. It is a known fact that even when the country has witnessed growth in the number of local contractors undertaking various projects, the majority have limited or no capacity to match the required level of performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Agency will continue to implement the 20% Sub-contracting Policy so that we grow the capacity of the local contractors. We desire to ensure that we develop a cadre of local contractors who will be able to undertake capital-intensive road projects\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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