Zambia speeds up China-funded construction of communication tower, says Brian Mushimba

Zambia is in a hurry to complete the construction of hundreds of communication towers across the nation ahead of schedule, a senior government official recently said.

Brian Mushimba, Minister of Transport and Communication, said 400 communication towers will be constructed in 2019 in addition to more than 600 towers that were erected last year, translating into about 96 percent of having universal coverage of both internet and communication facilities in the southern African nation.

Mushimba said in a release that the project, which was supposed to have been completed in three years' time, will be completed ahead of schedule as the government was expected to build over 1,000 communication towers at the end of the year out of 1,009 that were expected to be completed in three years. The communication towers were being constructed at a cost of US dollars 280 million with support from China.

The Zambian minister said some funds would be sourced from the universal access funds to complete the last mile of the project, adding that the universal coverage of both internet and telephone will enhance communication facilities and meet the needs of citizen.

In August 2017, Zambia and China signed a framework agreement for phase two of the construction of communication towers. According to Mushimba, there is disorder among service providers in terms of deployment of Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. The government, what he said, is in the process of introducing regulations in the deployment of ICT infrastructure in order to bring order in the sector.