By BILKE MULENGA –

•THE newly constructed Mwense District Hospital.

THE rapid growth of Zambia’s rural communities has seen unprecedented development with residents enjoying living standards similar to those of people in urban areas.
Modern facilities in sectors such as health, education, transport, business and communication are now readily found in most rural parts of the country.
With the coming into power of the Patriotic Front Government, most rural districts have seen new road networks that have been built to bituminous standards.
Rural districts are now experiencing an increase in retail shops such as of supermarkets, stocked with all sorts of consumer items, making local people to buy whatever merchandise they would want just within their locality.
A 67-year-old man of Chitamba Township of Mansa District in Luapula Province, Abraham Kalaluka says, Mansa is completely different from what it was two decades ago.
Mr Kalaluka said although Mansa was still the provincial headquarters, it lagged in development such that young people were yearning to go and settle in Lusaka or the Copperbelt.
“I came here when I was about 25-years-old, I was working in then United Bus Company of Zambia (UBZ). I still remember well that this town was very small.
“The population was not as large as it is today. We did not have bigger shops, so, we used to buy most of our things from then Zambia Consumer Buying Corporation (ZCBC) and House of Mansa then.
“And mostly,  there were shortages of some commodities, forcing people to queue for  necessities such as mealie-meal, sugar, cooking oil and soap,”he said.
Beauty Kalaba of Namwandwe Village of Mansa also recounts how undeveloped Mansa was some decades ago.
“We never thought we would have some new things that we have today in Mansa. We now have big shops like Shoprite, Pep, Budget stores and bigger groceries in our townships,” she said.
Ms Kalaba also said Mansa did not have mini buses and taxis and people used to walk long distances.
“These taxis and mini buses we see in Mansa were not there 10 years ago. But today, we are like those on the Copperbelt and Lusaka who board vehicles even on shorter distances,”Ms Kalaba said.
Bahati Member of Parliament Harry Kalaba says most communities in his constituency have seen good developments much to the amusement of residents.
The constituency has seen a number of new developments ranging from a good road network to improved boreholes.
Kabunda Road is in a deplorable state for many years, but with the coming of the PF, the road is now paved and built to bituminous standards.
In Samfya District, Jacob Mwewa said in an interview that  10 years ago the district had a very small shopping centre, hence people were buying most of their items from Mansa.
He said even the number of business houses were not as many as they are today, despite some people there having money from their fishing activities.
Former Chipili District Commissioner Raphael Kauseni was on record citing how the Mansa/Luwingu Road had brought development to communities along that multi-million kwacha facility.
Mr Kauseni said because of good road network, people in those communities had ventured in businesses that had improved their livelihoods.
He said people had even started conducting weekly markets held in some communities that where along the road.
Mr Kauseni said that they were selling all sorts of commodities including farm produce enabling them to have cash to use in their families.
“The coming of this new road has made most of our people live better lives. This is because there is a large number of motorists who pass and buy from them,” he said.
The newly formed Lunga District has also seen development among them, mobile phone network towers and business opportunities such as rice trading.
Similar developments are now found in other rural districts like Lufwanyama on the Copperbelt Prpvince.
Lufwanyama was upgraded to a district in 1998, but it lagged behind   until in the past four years when it started seeing unprecedented development.
Today, the main road which passes through the district from Kalulushi to Kasempa and Kalengwa has now been upgraded to bituminous standards.
The district has a hospital, boarding secondary school and most civil servants offices have since opened there.