PF Govt secures $45m loan for 1,000 buses THE government has secured a US$45 million (over K225 million) loan from the Development Bank of Zambia for the purchase of 1,000 buses. And transport, communications, works and supply deputy minister Col Panji Kaunda says the government has secured another loan with a local bank for the purchase of an additional 1,000 buses. $45,000 per bus, so for 1,000 buses it is $45 million. Instead of 1,000 buses, we are going to have 2,000 buses coming; we are almost done with the other bank which has come on board, Col Panji. Officially launching the bus training in Lusaka yesterday, Col Panji said the government was committed to empowering young people by facilitating the loans. We promised jobs for youngsters in the streets and recently, there has been an outcry that government has frozen recruitment of employees. It is not only jobs in government that matter; this programme, we want to go outside government parameters to employ Zambians because there are only a few civil servants, he said. He said the programme would open up development centres much wider. It is purely a commercial programme between the banks and the association, in this case DBZ. What we have done as government is to facilitate the entrance of young people to the banks, Col Panji said. He said the Ministry of Finance was handling the final transaction. DBZ has approved the loan for 1,000 buses. It has gone to the Ministry of Finance for final transaction, thereafter, and within six weeks the buses should come. Meanwhile, we are lucky that the two buses that we got as samples are doing extremely well, he said. As part of our empowerment, we have built the roads. People dont eat roads so we are encouraging the young people to get into the transport industry. And Public and Private Drivers Association president Josiah Majuru said the association was proud that drivers were being transformed into entreprenuers. We are very happy as drivers, that the project has come at the right time and the launch is to train and ensure that the would-be beneficiaries are well equipped on how they are supposed to handle the project, said Majuru. » More from Home News » Homepage
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 03:50:28 +0000
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