nsomba :
Hi Guys just Got this story of the Times of Zambia really hope we can complete Refurbishing Indepondo by as claimed in this article :
By Sports Reporter
THE Government has set the construction of a modern stadium in Ndola and the rehabilitation of facilities in Lusaka and Livingstone as top priority.
Sports Permanent Secretary, Susan Sikaneta told the parliamentary committee on Government assurances in Lusaka yesterday that Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Company (AFECC) from China was already on site at the Ndola Stadium.
Sikaneta said the Government would next week complete the signing of documentation with AFECC, the Chinese company tasked to rehabilitate Lusaka’s Independence Stadium, and Maramba Stadium in Livingstone so that work at the two arenas could start.
She said the Independence and Maramba projects were expected to be completed by March next year while AFECC had promised to hand over the Ndola Stadium within 26 months of the signing of contracts.
“We want to use the opportunity of the 2010 World Cup being held in the southern African region so that we can attract tourists and some teams that will qualify so that they can come and practice from here,” she said.
The permanent secretary said the Government alone was unable to construct a modern stadium, hence the decision to partner with the Chinese government for the construction of the stadium in Ndola.
She said initially, the Government had the option of the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement but that it was not economically viable, as it would have taken long for the investors to recoup the money spent on the construction.
Sikaneta said the government-to-government financing system was better as evidenced from the US$65 million long-term loan the Chinese government dangled for the construction of the Ndola Stadium which Zambia would only start servicing 10 years after the arena has been handed over.
She also defended the decision to pick AFECC for all the three projects, saying the company was picked by the Chinese government for the Ndola Stadium while her ministry awarded them the Independence and Maramba projects based on their international reputation.
“The ministry did seek authority from the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) to single-source the contractor to rehabilitate both the Independence Stadium in Lusaka and Maramba Stadium in Livingstone to international standards,” she said.
On concerns by the committee that the Chinese company would come with its nationals to work as labourers, Sikaneta said only experts would come from Beijing while 300 Zambians would be employed at the Ndola Stadium.
She said most of the auxiliary workers at the Ndola Stadium construction would be drawn from the Zambia National Service (ZNS) camps where her ministry has been training reformed street kids.
The permanent secretary told the committee, led by Mwinilunga West Member of Parliament, Steven Katuka that Cabinet had turned down her ministry’s proposal to establish a Zambia Sports Trust Fund to finance football development.
Sikaneta said the ministry had, however, made another proposal taking into consideration the reasons Cabinet turned down the earlier one which was deemed to have marginalised other sports disciplines.
She said her ministry was considering transforming the initiative into a national trust fund that would mobilise funds for the development of all sports disciplines in the country, especially with the success of the national team fundraising committee.
The permanent secretary also said her ministry would continue working with sports non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure that talent was tapped in rural areas and fed into the respective national teams.

GOOD NEWS

Hard luck Nakambala. Don’t throw stones… hold your heads high and look forwardto the next matches.

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Meanwhile, Choma Eagles coach K. Mumba has comfirmed that they released Kebby and Aubrey were released to go for trials in a post match interview at Woodlands Stadium. He however did not state to which clubs (or country) they have gone to.

(Updates coming through from ZNBC).

Arrows scored first via a Timothy Mbewe goal and Power came back with a penalty converted by Lameck Mwale who came in as sub.

GBFC 2 – 0 Choma (FT)

Forest 1 – 1 Lsk Dynamos (LD scored through P. Chipeta) – (FT)

Roan 3 – 1 Y Arrows (FT)

Zamtel 2 – 1 Konkola (FT)

Nakambala 0 – 0 City (FT)

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13 Goals scored out of 6 games played today! Well, not so bad afterall…