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Thank you to our friends at ZNBC for this clip. They do excellent reporting and journalistic work on behalf of the people of Zambia.
Excerpts from the interviews of various public and private sector participants:
"And if we connect Zambia into Angola we are likely to increase our exports almost $15 billion immediately, because Angola is importing food items from Portugal, from Spain, from Brazil, and other countries amounting to almost $5 billion. These are foodstuffs like chickens, beef, eggs, maize, wheat, which they would ordinarily get from Zambia if there was a linkage."
"You can not develop without a rail line to be honest with you. This is why even the mines a long time ago before they would produce they built first a rail line. It brings a lot of what you need, fuel, to transport heavy materials, there is a lot! So that area [which has rail] would be developed"
Transport and Logistics Minister of Zambia, Frank Tayali, had this to say on a tender that ends February 4, 2024, to expand and improve the railway further into the Copperbelt:
"The tender was actually floated and ironically the tender closes tomorrow the 9th of February, after which we should be able to select a consultant not only to carry out the feasibility study but also to work on the design of this particular project."
Minister of Transport for Angola, Ricardo Viegas D'Abreu, is happy to see so much interest in engaging with his government on Lobito Corridor advancements:
"More importantly, the relevance of Lobito Corridor is the impact to our own countries in job creation, in sustainability, food security, energy security, and therefore we are very very happy to see the interest of the global players and private sector as well in engaging with us."
Tourism Minister of Zambia, Rodney Sikumba, reminds that tourism also benefits from the new rail infrastructure:
"The rail passing through the northwestern province will give us in the tourism sector an opportunity to open up the northwestern [and many other parts] which the Ministry of Tourism is earmarking for 2024."
Engineering Institution of Zambia ("EIZ") President, Abel Ng'Andu, promises actions:
"We are going to make sure we are very proactive. We are going to push the agenda to make sure that more Zambians, local participation, is emphasized to make sure we don't lose out. Because local participation is going to show number one, transfers of skills. It's going to make sure that the rail line is going to be maintained. Who is going to maintain it? Zambian engineering professionals should be involved..."
