. Chitotela

By BRIAN HATYOKA –
HOUSING and Infrastructure Development Minister Ronald Chitotela has urged African engineers to devise standards and strategies which will make them compete favourably locally and abroad.
Mr Chitotela has also questioned why engineers from outside Africa taking the lead roles in projects executed on the continent.
Speaking in Livingstone, he said African engineers should not be content with being repairers or maintenance engineers but demonstrate more innovation and creativity that would lead to economic development on the continent.
Mr Chitotela was speaking yesterday when he officially
opened the 2018 Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ) symposium held under theme “Engineering for an Innovative and Competitive Zambia”.
The meeting has attracted scores of engineers from across Zambia as well as executive committee members of the Federation of African Engineering
Organisation (FAEO).
He said engineers should not wait for infrastructure to completely deteriorate before taking action, saying they should act swiftly to safeguard infrastructure.
“Why should we have foreign engineers from outside Africa be the leading engineers in Africa? I challenge African engineers not to be repairers but innovative and creative,” Mr Chitotela said.
He said being innovative would result not only in economic growth but also attract investors because better and improved infrastructure promoted sustainable and socially inclusive economic growth.
Mr Chitotela said the Government was committed to ensuring that Zambia had infrastructure that was innovative and plans were underway to set up an infrastructure fund that would be used for investment in sectors such as agriculture, industry and infrastructure.
In a separate interview, Mr Chitotela also assured Livingstone residents that works to complete the stalled international bus terminus and ultramodern town centre market would start in June this year.
He said contractors were expected to move on site by June under the supervision of Zambia National Service.
Earlier, Southern Province Minister Edify Hamukale urged Zambian and
African engineers in general to position themselves on the world map.
Dr Hamukale said there was need for engineers to assist in transforming Zambia using their expertise.