UNDP pledges to complete $5.4 million Mayukwayukwa…

he United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is committed to completing the Development of Basic Infrastructure (DBI) project for displaced persons and their host communities at Mayukwayukwa Resettlement Scheme in Kaoma District by 2027. UNDP Project Manager, Mwangana Amukena, expressed confidence that the planned infrastructure will be delivered within the set timeframe. He noted that the three-year project, launched last year, is funded by the Japanese Government through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and was being implemented jointly by UNDP and the Zambian government.

Speaking during a fact-finding mission at Mayukwayukwa, Mr Amukena praised the Zambia National Service (ZNS), the project contractor, for their dedication and commitment to completing the works on schedule. “The project has been under implementation for the past year since 2025, it’s running up to 2027. It’s a three years project with a budget of about $5.4 million from the Japanese government through JICA.

UNDP is hoping to achieve all the planned infrastructure as you can see that ZNS is committed”, Mr Amukena noted. Resettlement Division Assistant Director, George Mweenda reaffirmed government’s commitment to infrastructure development in Mayukwayukwa resettlement scheme in order to improve the welfare of the displaced settlers and their host Communities. Mr Mweenda highlighted that that the project targeted construction of infrastructure in schools which include classrooms, staff houses, ablution blocks and water reticulation systems.

[paywall]

He noted that the irrigation scheme was meant for farming activities in the resettlement in line with government’s Presidential directive to increase maize production and enhance food security in the country. “We’re here to continue the development of Mayukwayukwa resettlement scheme with ZNS team on the DBI project under UNDP. There is a lot of infrastructure which involves the schools, houses and also irrigation plus ablution blocks in schools”, he said.

“The irrigation aspect is that as we put up the schemes, we also want to make sure that we activate the irrigation aspect. Presidential delivery unit is spearheading the issue of 500, 000 metric tons of maize. To support that, we thought that irrigation maybe also can support maize or any other crop so irrigation must be there”, Mr Mweenda noted. ZNS Project Manager, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Simwanza, assured commitment and time delivery of the project.

[/paywall]