Great East Road Rehabilitation Project: Connecting Zambia to the Nacala, Beira Development Corridor

As moves towards regional integration gain momentum, the Zambian Government and its cooperating partners are seeking ways of overcoming Southern Africa’s Region’s road infrastructure challenges. One such way is the rehabilitation of the Great East Road, the route connecting the country to the Eastern Province and the Nacala Development Corridor which links three countries; Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.

In Zambia, the route that connects the country to the Nacala Development Corridor, is the Lusaka-Mwami Border Road and part of this road has been rehabilitated as part of the expansion plan on the Nacala Development Corridor in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

And in 2013, the government of Zambia contracted Condril and Mota Engil construction companies to rehabilitate the 375 kilometre stretch from Luangwa Bridge to Mwami Border, at a cost of 171 million Euros.

The road project is co-financed by the European Union (EU) through the European Development Fund (EDF) which is a grant and the loans from European Investment Bank (EIB), the French Agency for Development (AFD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

So far, the stretches between Mwami to Mtenguleni (Lot3) and Mtenguleni to Nyimba (Lot2) are a marvel and road users are pleased because of the quality of the works. There are some patches between Nyimba to Luangwa Bridge (Lot 1) that are being reworked on and once completed, this part of the Great East Road will provide motorists with driving comfort and safety.

Some users interviewed say the newly constructed road has increased traffic to and from Eastern Province, and the Beira, the coastal port.

A Malawian truck driver, Edwin Banda describes the road as a perfect link within the Southern Africa region.

“I wish the works on the Luangwa-Mwami border road can be extended to cover the Luangwa-Lusaka road and also the Katete-Chanida Border Road. I say so because from my understanding this road project is meant to open the Nacala corridor to Beira, in Mozambique, but without working on these missing links, then the connection will not make sense. The dream will not be realised,” Mr Banda says.

For Mr. Banda, a poor infrastructure makes the costs of transporting goods in the SADC among the highest on the continent.

“I have been a truck driver for 32 years now, and from my interactions and experience I have come to learn that SADC goods are therefore less competitive with those from other regions on the continent all because of poor transport facilities which makes transporting of goods,” Mr Banda says.

“A poor transport system acts as a non-tariff trade barrier,” concurs Musonda Chitala, a Zambian truck driver.

Mr Chitala says bad roads cost lives.

“I know what a bad road can do to a family, a community and above all, the region. On several occasions while on the road delivering goods, I have witnessed a lot of fatalities. I can safely say that the regions road fatality share is huge all because of the bad roads,” Mr Chitala says.

Effective transportation which includes a good road network is not only a prerequisite to truckers alone but many other users too.

A cross border trader, Majory Simwamba said the road has eased her movements between Lusaka and Blantyre in Malawi.

“Before the road was done, travelling from Luangwa to Mwami border was taking over six hours by bus, but now, we take three to four hours, which is good for Lee’s a trader because the longer you spend travelling, the more expensive it becomes,” Ms Simwamba says.

The project also involved the remodeling of the Chipata Town Centre Road with new traffic lights, street lights, road curbs, pedestrian and cyclist lanes, and road markings.

The City Municipality Mayor, Sinoya Mwale says the rehabilitation of the Great East Road has also helped to beautify Chipata, which was conferred with the City status recently.

“The rehabilitation of the Great East Road came at the right time, the project has greatly contributed to helping the Chipata attain the status and beauty befitting a City,” says Mr Mwale, adding: “Because of this project, we have new traffic lights, street lights, road curbs, pedestrian and cyclist lanes, and road markings”.

Mr Mwale says the initial road curbs were not liked by road users, the new curbs and other road features have contributed to the safety of the town centre road users. He said in the past, there were a number of accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorists as the road did not have these safety features.

“We want to express our sincere thanks to the Zambian Government and the European Union for upgrading the Great East Road and particularly for helping acclaim the Status of the City,” says Mr. Mwale.

Although virtual connectivity has become increasingly important today with the emergence of new communication avenues, a good and reliable transport network remains vital.

There is a very strong positive correlation between a country’s or indeed region’s economic development and the quality of its road network.

Roads are the arteries through which the economy pulses. By linking producers to markets, workers to jobs, students to school, and the sick to hospitals, roads are vital to any development agenda.

The National Authorising Office, a Unit within Ministry of Finance mandated to manage funds from the European Union through the European Development Fund, is impressed with the road works on the Luangwa Bridge- Mwami Border road.

NAO Coordinator and Deputy National Authorising Officer, Ms. Chasiya Kazembe says the said road will make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring important social benefits on the Nacala Transport corridor, and that of Zambia.

“Roads provide access to employment, social, health and education services makes a road network crucial in economic growth. Roads open up more areas and stimulate economic and social development. For those reasons, road infrastructure is the most important of all public assets,” Ms Kazembe says.

The Zambian government in particular has nevertheless made significant efforts to improve the road situation connecting the Nacala Development Corridor as seen in the speedy rehabilitation of the T-4 also known as the Great East road.

After the recent NAO conducted tour of the Great East Rehabilitation Project with selected media houses, we can safely conclude that the objective of promoting equitable economic growth, regional integration in Zambia through development of the North-South and Nacala Regional Development corridors is no longer a dream but a reality. [Zambia Daily Mail Reporter Doreen Nawa and NAO Communications Expert Kunda Mwila contributed to the article]