‘New ministry will bring needed expertise’

THE re-establishment of the Ministry of Works and Supply will bring expertise needed to boost the construction sector and address the challenges it is facing, Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors (ABCEC) president Michael Nyirenda has said.
Government has split the Ministry of Works, Transport, Supply and Communication to become Ministry of Works and Supply, and Ministry of Transport and Communication.
In response to a query, Mr Nyirenda said Zambia is currently experiencing a high volume of construction works and this requires a specialised ministry.

“The association is delighted to note that President Lungu split the Ministry of Works, Transport, Supply and Communication, among other ministries. The mandate of the ministry was way too vast to be managed by one minister but of course, [Mr] Yamfwa Mukanga did his very best to contain the work pressure,” he said.
He said the association now expects the Ministry of Works and Supply to dovetail a contractor development plan that will incorporate the aspirations of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), which has a mandate to oversee all state-owned enterprises.
He, however, said there are a number of urgent issues that ABCEC had the occasion of raising in the past but could not be adequately attended to, probably due to the huge responsibility that the minister had.
Mr Nyirenda said the association also anticipates that the construction sector will continue to develop further and in a more co-ordinated way with the creation of the Ministry of Planning and National Development.

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