Staff Reporter
ZAMBIA has signed contracts worth K4.9 billion (about N$4.3 billion) to rehabilitate and upgrade the strategic Livingstone-Sesheke Road, a key transport corridor linking the country to Namibia through the Trans Caprivi Corridor and the Port of Walvis Bay, in a move expected to boost regional trade, tourism and cross-border connectivity.
The investment also includes rehabilitation works on the Chipata-Lundazi Road in eastern Zambia, with both projects now moving from the planning stage into implementation following the appointment of contractors and the issuing of commencement orders.
The 212-kilometre Livingstone-Sesheke Road project has been awarded to Sino-Hydro Corporation Limited in a joint venture with Nchifar Enterprises Limited, while the Chipata-Lundazi Road will be rehabilitated by China Geo Engineering Corporation.
According to Zambia’s Ministry of Information and Media and the Road Development Agency (RDA), contractors have already mobilised to site and begun preliminary engineering work ahead of full-scale construction.
The Livingstone-Sesheke Road forms part of the Trans Caprivi Corridor, one of Southern Africa’s most important trade routes linking Zambia to Namibia’s Port of Walvis Bay. The corridor provides a critical export and import route for goods moving between Zambia and international markets through Namibia.
Once completed, the upgraded road is expected to reduce travel times, improve road safety and lower transport costs for freight operators transporting goods between the two countries.
The project will also include the rehabilitation of township roads in Livingstone, Kazungula, Mwandi and Sesheke, while the Chipata-Lundazi project will upgrade sections of the road network and township roads in Lundazi and Lumezi.
Both projects will be implemented over 30 months, with the first six months dedicated to detailed engineering designs, followed by 24 months of construction.
The RDA said emergency repairs have already begun on badly damaged sections of the Livingstone-Sesheke Road where heavy trucks have been getting stuck, providing immediate relief while preparations continue for the main rehabilitation works.
The two contracts are valued at approximately K3.3 billion for the Livingstone-Sesheke Road and K1.6 billion for the Chipata-Lundazi Road.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has identified transport infrastructure as central to the country’s economic transformation, saying improved roads will strengthen regional trade, support tourism, reduce transport costs and improve access to markets and essential services.
For Namibia, the rehabilitation is expected to further strengthen the Walvis Bay transport corridor, reinforcing the port’s role as a regional logistics gateway for Zambia and other landlocked countries in Southern and Central Africa.
The investment also supports broader regional integration efforts under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with improved transport infrastructure expected to enhance trade flows, attract investment and increase the competitiveness of regional supply chains.
Construction is expected to gather pace once the design phase is completed later this year.
Photo: Ministry of Information and Media – Zambia
