•ZAMBIA National Service officers parade in front of the earth-moving equipment.

By MIRIAM ZIMBA –

LAST week, President Edgar Lungu commissioned earth-moving equipment valued at K400 million for the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads across the country. The project will be carried out by the Zambia National Service (ZNS).
The President also announced during the commissioning of the equipment that the Rural Roads Unit which (RRU) was under the auspices of the Ministry of Works and Supply would now fall under ZNS.
The heavy-duty equipment, which was procured from AVIC International, will be deployed to rural areas as a measure aimed at opening them up for investment and development.
Speaking during the commissioning of the equipment, President Lungu said the equipment was meant to complement road works under the Link-Zambia 8000.
“It is a well-known fact that since the Patriotic Front (PF) formed Government in 2011, it has been working relentlessly on linking Zambia through the construction of road infrastructure in the country,” he said.
“The vision is coming to pass as we are witnessing an unprecedented road infrastructure development throughout Zambia, opening up areas which had rroads which were completely impassible,” he added.
The President stressed that  the Government realises that if the hardships faced by citizens are to be alleviated, there is need for them to have easy access to markets, health and educational facilities.
This is because the Government cannot afford to ignore the contributions of the rural populace to the development of the country in general.
“This segment of our populace continues to render a significant contribution to the growth of our economy, especially in the agriculture sector where they have continued to produce food even under very difficult circumstances,” the President noted.
He reiterated that his Government will continue to work for the common benefit of the people who have given them the mandate to govern the country.
Bearing in mind the importance of a good road network and its socio-economic benefits to the country’s development,  the Government has taken keen interest in ensuring that accessibility to rural Zambia is enhanced.
This is mainly to afford citizens a chance to participate and contribute to the economic development agenda of the country.
President Lungu said the Government recognises that ZNS is a dependable vehicle which will enable the nation realise its vision of opening up the rural areas of the country.
This entails that ZNS will be charged with the responsibility of constructing durable and reliable feeder roads, bridges and crossing points throughout the country.
The President expressed confidence that utilising ZNS for this very important national task will not only be a cost effective measure for the Government, but will also help the country realise these developments in record time.
“The resilience and discipline of the men and women in uniform will enable then to effectively operate even in the toughest of areas.”
“As commander in chief of armed forces, I have no doubt that we will achieve the intended results,” he added.
In commending ZNS for previous road works they carried out successfully, the President cited the example of roads in Msanzala constituency which he described as having been executed professionally.
He urged them to ensure that they execute all road projects assigned to them with similar zeal, especially that the defence wing has been empowered with a fleet of new machinery for this purpose.
He expressed confidence that the defence wing will be able to execute this national task with the importance it deserves.
He however, advised the officers to ensure that they handle the equipment entrusted to them with maximum accountability and transparency.
Government’s decision to detach the RRU from the Ministry of Works and Supply and move it to ZNS, was done with the view of increasing the department’s efficiency  in delivering a good road net work to the Zambians.
ZNS Commandant Nathan Mulenga expressed gratitude to the President for having identified ZNS as a conduit through which the rural development agenda can be made a reality for the rural majority of the Zambian people.
He was happy that ZNS which had been struggling to execute its obligations to open up rural areas through the construction of feeder roads, crossing points and bridges had now been empowered to carry out these projects effectively.
The earlier lapses in executing this mandate, is mainly due to the constant breakdown of obsolete equipment.
This in turn proved to be disadvantageous to rural communities because their accessibility to education and health facilities was hampered by poor road infrastructure.
The challenges faced by ZNS in executing these duties also had a negative toll on the country’s agriculture productivity.
“Coming to agriculture, despite all these efforts that we put in to ensure mass production of both the staple food crop-maize and the high value crops like soya beans and wheat, the service was barely able to break even,” the commandant said.
Gen. Mulenga assured the Government that ZNS will ensure maximum accountability and transparency in the use of the said machinery so that the benefits can trickle down to the majority of the Zambian people.
“To all of us in service, I want to remind you that there is a reason why this Government chose to entrust us with this very important national task to contribute to the development of our country.”
Northern Province Minister Mwimba Malama has equally welcomed the Government’s decision to move the RRU from the Ministry of Works and Supply to ZNS.
In an interview, Mr Malama said he has all the confidence that the unit will operate better under ZNS.
“I appreciate that RRU will perform better with supervisions of institutions under command like ZNS,” he said.
“ZNS has vast experience in implementing developmental programmes of such nature, and they can easily execute such tasks without any difficulties,” he added.
Mr Malama said the Government’s decision to move the RRU to ZNS is a good move because it will ensure that the country’s defence forces are engaged and involved in promoting the country’s developmental agenda.
The heavy duty equipment was procured from AVIC International will be deployed to rural areas as a measure aimed at opening them up for investment and development.
And Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming aid the involvement of AVIC International a Chinese State owned company is a clear demonstration of the strong bilateral ties between Zambia and China.
He said the company has not only provided the equipment, but also shared with Zambians the knowledge on how to operate and maintain the machinery.
The importance of a good road network is one of the bedrocks that drives development through increased investment and economic activities.
Assurances have been pledged by the ZNS commandant and the President has all the confidence in their capability to deliver, therefore, the benefits of this decision is one that will best be told by the inhabitants in the areas where these projects will be carried out.