Sontapo Great East Road
A section of the Great East Road has collapsed less than four months after being commissioned by President Lungu following a K1.5 trillion rehabilitation project.
The project was financed through a mixture of loans and grants, with the European Investment Bank contributing 505.6 billion Kwacha and the African Development Bank contributing 495.5 billion Kwacha. It involved the reconfiguration, restructuring and rehabilitation of 360km of road, plus the addition of five new bridges.
The PF has focused their legacy on infrastructure. In the 2016 elections they used the slogan ‘Sontapo’ to point to their achievements across the country. At the time the opposition claimed that too many of these projects involved inflated costs and poor standards. No doubt these warnings will resurface now following the incident.
Speaking at the occasion of the road’s commissioning in October 2019 President Lungu stated, “It is a clear reflection of the Patriotic Front government’s unwavering commitment to improving the road network across the country in particular, and to delivering on our development promises to the Zambian people in general.”
As the President also noted at the time the Great East Road is “a critical road not only to the development of Eastern Province but also the country as a whole.”
The road serves as a major transport link between Zambia and Malawi and Mozambique. It is part of the regional Nacala corridor.
The cost of the PF’s infrastructure bonanza has been high and Zambia is now in a difficult financial situation as a result of record levels of borrowing.
Minister of Finance Bwalya Ngandu last week confirmed that external debt stock continues to rise and now stands at US$11.2 billion. The debt has increased by almost 10% in the past six months, having stood at US$10.2 billion in June 2019 and just US$1.9 billion in 2011. According to the Minister the latest increase comes as a result of new disbursements on existing loans mostly earmarked for infrastructure development.
Organizations such as the African Development Bank have warned that the country is at high risk of debt distress and the Economics Association of Zambia President Lubinda Haabazoka has previously warned that servicing the debt would cost around US$800 million in 2019.
