Performance of local contractors troubles govt, as Minister Milupi challenges engineers to improve

Infrastructure and Urban Development Minister, Charles Milupi, says the government is concerned with poor workmanship being exhibited by local contractors despite the country boosting of a pool of qualified engineers.

Speaking when he commissioned the new Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ) office park in Kitwe on Thursday, Milupi said engineers needed to up their game to regain credibility.

“Engineers need to be on top of things, the quality of works involving engineers is not encouraging, we need to change the scenario,” he stated.

Milupi observed that the old scenario still remained where most construction companies were a family business without a proper governance structure making it difficult to attract equity partners.

“These people you see coming in and participate in Public Private Partnerships (PPP) infrastructure were managing because of working together,” he said.

On the plea by Commerce ,Trade and Industry Minister, Chipoka Mulenga, for him to consider the desire by engineers to have Engineer-General, Milupi said he would escalate the conversations to the highest level.

Earlier on, Mulenga said the engineering fraternity had been advocating for the establishment of the office of Engineer-General to provide oversight role to the engineering profession.

Meanwhile, EIZ president, Able Ng,andu, said the office park would help in enhancing EIZ’s corporate brand while assist in boosting its income base as some spaces were being lent out.

“This is milestone for us because this office will cater for Northwestern, Luapula, Northern and Muchinga provinces. On the other hand, this is the region where we have 60 percent membership because of being a mining region,” Ng’andu said.

He said apart from office space, the building would hold space for boardrooms, conference rooms, auditorium.

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