BuyZed Campaign has called on the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and local authorities across the country to strengthen the training of personnel responsible for operating and managing earth-moving equipment in constituencies.
Campaign Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Evans Ng’oma, said inadequate specialized training among some equipment operators could result in avoidable breakdowns, costly repairs and delays in road works.
Mr. Ng’oma told Money News that Government should ensure that personnel entrusted with expensive earth-moving equipment have the necessary skills to operate and maintain the machinery properly.
“We have observed with concern that some expensive earth-moving equipment may be operated by personnel without adequate specialized training. This can lead to avoidable breakdowns, costly repairs, delays in road works and ultimately the loss of taxpayers’ money,” he said.
He proposed that every Council sends at least three earth-moving equipment operators from each constituency for intensive professional training.
Mr. Ng’oma said the training should focus on the proper operation, daily inspection, basic maintenance and safe handling of graders and other heavy equipment.
“Where permissible under CDF guidelines, part of the Constituency Development Fund should be considered for this critical capacity building. It is better to invest in training an operator than to repeatedly spend public money repairing equipment damaged through improper operation,” Mr. Ng’oma stated.
He further implored Government, working with the National Council for Construction (NCC) and other accredited institutions, to organize refresher training for Council engineers, works supervisors and other relevant technical personnel.
Mr. Ng’oma said this should be done to ensure that engineers are adequately equipped to supervise the construction and maintenance of feeder roads, bridges, culverts, drainage systems and other crossing points according to acceptable engineering standards.
He stressed that the quality of rural road infrastructure is critical to Zambia’s economic development because farmers, manufacturers and other local producers depend on roads to transport goods and services to markets.
“For the BuyZed Campaign, feeder roads are not merely roads — they are economic arteries. Farmers, manufacturers and other local producers need good roads to move raw materials, agricultural produce, finished goods and services to markets,” he stressed.
Mr. Ng’oma stated that the Government’s Grow Zambia Agenda cannot be effectively implemented if rural road infrastructure remains poor and public equipment is not properly managed.
“President Hakainde Hichilema has introduced the Grow Zambia Agenda. We believe that we cannot effectively grow Zambia if our rural road infrastructure remains poor and if the people entrusted with our equipment and infrastructure are not adequately trained,” Mr. Ng’oma stated.
He said the second term of the current administration should focus on tangible delivery, value for money and protection of public assets.
“Our appeal to the Ministry, Councils and relevant authorities is simple: train the operators,upskill the engineers, protect CDF equipment, open up feeder roads, grow Zambia,” he added. “Let us invest in skills today so that Zambia can deliver better infrastructure tomorrow.”
