CEC to resettle 1000 people in Kabompo district.

——Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) is expected to spend five point five million Kwacha (K5.5 million) to resettle 1000 people who will be displaced by the construction of the 40 mega watt Kabompo hydro power station in Mwinilunga district.

CEC human resource and administration officer Jerry Kalulu says his Corporation is ready to start the resettlement programme in the next two weeks.

He says CEC has partnered with Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) to assist train beneficiaries in entrepreneurial skills.

ZANIS reports that the  CEC official said this when they called on north western province permanent secretary Amos Malupenga in Solwezi District , today.

Mr Kalulu said CEC would want to develop capacities of beneficiaries in the project area so that they can be able to use the money on productive ventures that will potentially transform the agricultural opportunities in the area into commercial ventures that will enhance their livelihoods.

Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) enterprise development manager Innocent Melu said the resettlement programme by CEC will create 1, 500 direct job in the area.

Speaking at the same meeting Mr Melu said the K3 billion which CEC has provided will offer opportunities to farmers to develop skills needed to use to run their investment as the money will compliment what they are already doing.

And Malupenga advised the ZDA to reduce on the time frame of study of programme which he said was taking too long for people to see the benefit of the invest.

Mr Malupenga says  people are interested to use the money to improve their living standards and urged the agency to help the people to strategize on how to use their money.

The Kabompo hydro power station is the first power generation and transmission project that will be constructed across the Kabompo River at a cost of 220 million United States Dollars

A 35 kilometers transmission line will be constructed to join the national grid at Kalumbila mine.