Being in the middle of nowhere can also be seen as being in the middle of everywhere – which is the position adopted by the Zambian government. Freight News first wrote about the government plans in 2014.By 2021 the National Road Fund Agency had reached its target of 37 tolling points established to raise funds for road building and maintenance.There are plans to upgrade the road infrastructure through the construction of up to 10 000 kilometres of single- and dual-carriage roads throughout the country. This will be financed through a combination of public private partnerships (PPPs) and the addition of more toll stations.Major projects currently under way include the construction of a dual carriageway to link Lusaka and Ndola, a dual carriageway to reduce congestion in Nakonde on the Tanzanian border, and a PPP to upgrade the Katete-Chanida Road and build a one-stop border post at Chanida on the Mozambican border. A much-delayed rehabilitation of the weighbridge in the Solwezi district has been completed.Speakers at the official opening emphasised the need to clamp down on overloading in order to preserve the road network. Rail is one of the priorities identified in Zambia Vision 2030, which states that the country should be positioned with “a robust and competitive transport and communications network that services the region”.In 2022 the ministry of transport and logistics established a railway improvement project.The Zambia Railways strategic plan for 2024 to 2028 included repairs and upgrades to existing rolling stock and engaging with the private sector to run its own trains, public relations manager, Sombe Ng'onga told the Zambian Business Times.Projects in the pipeline include a new rail connection to link a Lake Tanganyika harbour to an existing line that runs to neighbouring Tanzania, the revitalisation of the Chipata-Mchinji line to Malawi, and on to Nacala and Beira and connecting with the Lobito Corridor. These developments will impact warehousing, predicts property group Knight Frank. “The landscape of warehouse leasing is poised for change, driven by strategic road infrastructure projects such as the Lusaka to Ndola dual carriageway. “This development is expected to generate new opportunities for warehousing and commercial centres, particularly in areas where the road will bypass towns such as Kabwe and Kapiri.“Ongoing investment and projects in the mining and agriculture sectors are expected to attract and stimulate new logistics developments, potentially reshaping the demand dynamic for warehousing,” the company states.
