Africa-Press – Zambia. Itezhi –Tezhi district has technically been handed over to Southern in order for the district to benefit from the national budget for 2023. Central Province Permanent Secretary Milner Mwanakampwe says Itezhi-Tezhi District is now part of the Southern province budgeted for in the 2023 national budget.
Mr. Mwanakampwe explains that the district has been retained to Southern province so that it can realise its economic potential and effectively contribute to the nation.
Speaking during a meeting held at Itezhi -Tezhi Town council chamber, the Permanent Secretary emphasised that the district’s poor road network has hampered many potential investors, causing it to lag in development.
The district has abundant resources and can effectively contribute to revenue from tourism, fishing, and farming. Mr. Mwanakampwe for this reason urged heads of department to ensure that projects undertaken in the area benefits the entire community.
He was perplexed that buildings built in the 1970s were still standing and rarely had their roofs blown off, whereas new buildings were being damaged, annually .
“Those of us in charge of procuring government projects should do serious introspection and have a heart for the poor people who require government services,” Mr. Mwanakampwe said.
And Southern Province Permanent Secretary Namani Monze said he was looking forward to working with Itezhi-Tezhi to meet the people’s expectations. He also urged civil servants to use government resources wisely in order to provide quality services to the people.
“We are not employed in order to get a salary but to provide services” Dr. Monze said. Meanwhile, Itezhi-Tezhi Council Chairperson Oliver Sitengu has urged Southern Province administration to complete the D769 road as soon as possible.
“The issue of access to Itezhi-Tezhi should be addressed urgently because we are losing investment opportunities such as tourism.” Mr. Sitengu said.
He cited a missed opportunity by Parmalat, which planned to establish milk collection centres but was unable to do so due to poor road networks. Mr. Sitengu has also requested that Central Province expedite the numbering of plots surveyed in Itezhi -Tezhi.
The formal transfer of the Itezhi -Tezhi district to the southern provision will take place before the end of 2022. During the Patriotic Front regime , the area was part of Central province.
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