Zambia has awarded China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Co-operation (CJIC) a US$1.2bn contract to expand part of a key road linking Zambia to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and southern African neighbours.
The Chinese firm will build the 321km Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway over four years. Zambia President Edgar Lungu said during the project launch.
Zambia is Africa’s second biggest copper producer and Ndola is the capital of the nation’s copper-belt region. Chinese investment in Zambia already includes roads, agriculture, mining and energy projects such as a 750MW hydro-power station in the south of the country.
According to President Lungu, the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway will improve the flow of traffic, thereby drastically reducing road traffic accidents on the country roads. He further said that, “Increased traffic on our roads due to the booming economic activities in various sectors, especially in the mining sector, requires an appropriate response such as this one.”
Moreover, the project is one of the biggest in Zambia’s history. However, the project is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs during the construction phase.
Besides, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping said in 2015 that the country will plough US$60bn into African development projects to boost agriculture, build roads, ports and railways and cancel some debt.
Also Read: Zambia government invest US$1bn for the development of aviation infrastructure
About CJIC
Approved by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China and registered in 1983, is a large compound foreign economic enterprise, focusing on international project contracting and labor services cooperation and diversified undertaking the business of domestic real estate, architectural design, overseas investment and trading simultaneously.
The corporation had gained and been awarded the following professional Certificates and Qualifications in China: SO 9001:2000 Quality Management System Authentication , GB/T 28001-2001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System, ISO14001:2004.
Environmental Management System, Grade 1 Contracting Qualification in building project and Contracting Qualification in water conservancy and hydroelectric project, Contracting Qualification in municipal public works, Specialized sub-contracting qualification in mechanical and electrical works, Specialized sub-contracting qualification in lift installation, Specialized sub-contracting qualification in sport facilities.
Meanwhile, the corporation also obtained the top grade contracting qualifications in building project, water conservancy and hydroelectric project and road and bridge project in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana and Zambia. Therefore, the corporation is honorably selected to be the vice-chairman member of China International Contractors Association (CHINCA), the supreme coordination organization for the industry of international economic and technical cooperation in the People’s Republic of China.
