Government says local contractors have the capacity to perform better once they are fully equipped with the state of the art construction equipment.
Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister Yamfwa Mukanga said local contractors have the skilled manpower to execute contracts once they are equipped with modern machinery.
Mr. Mukanga said government has since embarked on a programme of empowering local contractors in order for them to perform to government’s expectations of executing bigger contracts.
ZANIS reports that Mr. Mukanga said this in Lusaka today at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Construction Finance Initiative (CFI) involving Bell Equipment Zambia Limited, the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) and the Road Development Agency (RDA).
The MoU among other issues involves the supply of construction equipment by Bell Equipment Zambia Limited to local contractors under flexible terms.
Mr. Mukanga expressed happiness that the MoU will help raise the profile and grade of the local contractors in order for them to compete favourably with foreign contractors.
Earlier, Bell Equipment Zambia Limited Managing Director Mark Timmerman thanked government for creating a conducive business environment for local companies involved in the supply of construction machinery.
Mr. Timmerman reaffirmed his company’s commitment to create a strong local contractor base for the current and future road infrastructure development.