Spending $80 billion on roads is unrealistic – Ngwale

Disability Activist Elijah Ngwale says spending US$80 billion on road infrastructure development by the PF Government is unrealistic.

And Ngwale has charged that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has excluded the participation of Non Governmental organizations (NGO) in most developmental programmes in the country.

The disability activist said much as citizens are interested in transport; it is unrealistic to spend that much money only on roads.
He said there is the question of maintenance and continuous rehabilitation of roads once they are built but wondered where funds for that would come from after spending so much money on the construction of the same roads.

He was speaking when he called in during the “Let the People Talk” programme on Radio Phoenix in Lusaka today, August 16, 2013 that hosted Trevor Simumba, an economist.

Ngwale said there is need for Government to prioritize projects in the country, saying as it stands the current Government was doing things in a haphazard manner.

“Let’s not do things like Joseph the dreamer, put the road there, put the district there, do this here no! They (Government) are doing things in a hash hash, hot hot, mesh mash manner and in the end we will have a situation where things are going to break down in a very bad way, “he said.

And Nwale has charged that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has excluded the participation of Non Governmental organizations (NGO) and the broad masses of the population in most developmental programmes in the country. He said the PF regime should get a leaf from the MMD Government which was participatory in nature.

Ngwale has since appealed to Government to ensure the broad masses of the population participate in the development agenda of the country. He says the Participation of NGOs and the broad masses of the population during the MMD regime was cardinal in fostering development in the nation.

He said in the MMD government NGOs were in the fore in almost all programmes one can think but that since the PF Government came into power in 2011, NGOs have been left out in national development programmes.

Ngwale said it is imperative that Government brings citizens on board on most issues of national development if the country was to develop socially, economically and politically.