Categories: Editor's Picks

Mushimba highlights 2018 achievements

Minister of Transport and Communications Brian Mushimba says 580 towers have been completed and 305 operational or on air.
In his statement to highlight the performance of his ministry in 2018, Mr. Mushimba says his ministry will continues to devise, review and implement policy measures aimed at developing the Transport and Communication sectors in order to enable sustained economic growth.
Mr. Mushimba says among the key issues addressed last year include the issuing of a Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 7 of 2018, the Railways Transportation of Heavy Goods Regulation requiring 30% of Heavy and Bulk Cargo to be shifted from road to rail was promulgated and came into effect.
He says the volumes of cargo for TAZARA in the first half of 2018 increased by 6% over the same period last year.
He adds that for Zambia Railways Ltd, the volume of cargo in the first half of 2018 increased by 11% over the same period last year.
“In view of this, it is imperative that the citizens are updated regularly on progress made in the implementation of the various reforms and programmes in the ministry. The goal of the ministry is to develop an efficient and integrated transport system and achieve universal access to communication coverage as well as strengthen the provision of meteorological services. This is meant to lower the cost of transport and communications and support climate adaptation to climate change,” said the minister.
He says key achievements by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in the year 2018 included Major Policy Developments such as Finalisation of the National Transport Policy, Finalisation of the National Transport Master Plan, Finalisation of the National ICT Master Plan and drafting of E-commerce & E-Government bill, Cyber security & Cyber Crime bill and Data Protection Bill.
“Per sub-sector, the following were some of the achievements for the year 2018; Partnership and Shareholders’ Agreement for the Re-establishment of a National Airline signed with Ethiopian Airlines; Upgrading of various aviation infrastructure across the country including the upgrading of airports that is advanced,” he said.
Mr. Mushimba adds that transferred the functions of provincial and strategic aerodromes management and maintenance to Zambia Airports Corporation Limited were also part of the achievements by his ministry.
“In the Communications Sub Sector; Enactment of the Information and Communications Technology Association of Zambia Act No. 7 of 2018, which will regulate ICT professionals and players in the sector; Implementation of the Communications Towers Phase II Project (656 sites under construction or completed, 580 towers completed and 305 operational or on air);
Data Protection, Cyber Security and e-Commerce/e-Government bills ready for tabling in the next Parliamentary session of February 2019. The Telecommunications Traffic Monitoring System (TTMS) for revenue monitoring implemented,” he said.
The Transport and Communications Minister says a fourth mobile service provider UZZI Zambia Limited was awarded a license to roll out a nationwide and international Network service platform, which will be operational within the first quarter of 2019.
“A private broadcasting signal distributor, GOTV was licensed to operate on the Zambian market. This has helped to liberalise the market and promote competition in the sector,” he added.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________-

MONEY FM IS ZAMBIA’S FIRST AND ONLY BUSINESS & PERSONAL FINANCE RADIO STATION. WE FOCUS ON BUSINESS AND MONEY-RELATED TOPICS, AS WELL AS GENERAL NEWS AND DISCUSSION OF WIDER SOCIAL TOPICS SUCH AS HEALTH, EDUCATION, FOOD, MUSIC, FITNESS AND MORE.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

More From Author

Future-Proofing Your Business Building

News of the Abyssal Wonders discovery has reverberated throughout the scientific community, sparking intense interest…

Read More

Car Enthusiast’s Dream: Exploring High-Performance Models

News of the Abyssal Wonders discovery has reverberated throughout the scientific community, sparking intense interest…

Read More

The Dos and Don’ts of Professional Gatherings

News of the Abyssal Wonders discovery has reverberated throughout the scientific community, sparking intense interest…

Read More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

IZB profit up 18.74% to K604.33 million

IZB has posted a K604.33 million Net Profit after tax for the year ended 31st…

Read More

Indo Zambia Bank declares K50 million dividend cheque

This is part of the K125 million dividend, the highest ever for 2023 financial year.…

Read More

Economist expects currency to hit K15 between April, December, 2024

  The Kwacha has been experiencing an unusual decline since introduction of the Export Proceeds…

Read More