• The model is not a very good model to accelerate the pace in terms of infrastructure development.
• It doesn’t allow for emergency road works.
• Most of the road infrastructure in the country is extremely deteriorated.

Zambian Association of Citizen Contractors (ZACCO) says Public Private Partnership (PPP) is not a very good model to accelerate infrastructure development.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Association General Secretary Danny Simumba said despite the model allowing the private sector to invest on infrastructure, it does not allow for emergency road works.
Mr. Simumba noted that most of the road infrastructure in the country is extremely deteriorated, therefore government should have done enough by putting in place emergency works.
“We heard pronouncements regarding the PPP as a model to deliver infrastructure, but we feel as ZACCO the model whilst good, as it allows the private sector to invest on infrastructure, it is not a very good model to accelerate the pace in terms of infrastructure development.”
“It doesn’t allow for emergency cases. When you look around the country, most of the infrastructure, particularly the road infrastructure, is deteriorated to the extent that most of the roads have outlived their design life, so we hoped to see many activities in there,” Mr. Simumba stated.
He added that 2022 left a huge backlog in terms of rehabilitating infrastructure in the road and water sectors, among others.
“The government should have done enough by putting in place emergency works. But looking at 2022, it left a huge backlog in terms of rehabilitating infrastructure in the road sector, water sector and building sector.”
“We are expectant of many things to come in the construction industry. The President has set the pace, he declared that 2023 is a year to unlock the potential in the private sector and we hope to support the President in achieving this objective. Looking back to 2022, the construction industry did not see much activity,” he said.
Government has pledged to aggressively pursue Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), as a mechanism to fund and construct transport infrastructure. The PPP Act 14 of 2009 defines ‘public-private partnership’ as investment through private sector participation in an infrastructure project or infrastructure facility.