By JAMES KUNDA –
INFRASTRUCTURE development is a key priority for the Government, Works and Supply Minister Yamfwa Mukanga has said.
Mr Mukanga said the country’s economic development rested on infrastructure hence projects such as the Multi Facility Economic Zones (MFEZ’S) and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) had been pursued.
The Minister said this at Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka yesterday during a business breakfast for the valuation chapter of the Surveyors Institute of Zambia (SIZ).
The theme of the breakfast was: ‘‘The importance of infrastructure to the property market.’’
“This infrastructure includes road networks, mining plants and facilities, industrial parks, agricultural belts, to name a few and growth of an economy is driven by these facilities.
“Infrastructure development is a key priority and the Government’s engagement with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and other multilateral partners has been driven by this recognition,” Mr Mukanga said.
He said the existing infrastructural gaps in Zambia should serve as an incentive for innovative Zambians to explore and build economic infrastructure that could be used to develop this country.
Mr Mukanga noted that the role of surveyor’s was to bring facts from ground and present the information in a manner that would enable effective implementation of infrastructure development.
“Real estate professionals such as the Surveyors Institute of Zambia have a key role to play in the initiation, conceptualization, development and delivery of infrastructure.
“On behalf of Government, I urge the valuation surveyors’ registration board and the valuation chapter of SIZ to continue promoting standards of professional and ethical conduct,” he said.
At the same occasion, SIZ chairperson Chisebwe Fumbeshi said the aim of the institution was to protect the public interest by ensuring that members observed the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.
He said valuation surveyors had taken an active interest in reviewing infrastructure projects within different markets of countrywide.
“The rapid infrastructure development being experienced in Zambia is playing a pivotal role in establishing a significant influence on property development taking shape across the nation.
“We need to stop thinking about infrastructure as an economic stimulant and start thinking about it as a strategy,” Mr Fumbeshi said.
Mr Fumbeshi implored the surveyors to continue observing professionalism for the country’s continued development.