A US $12 million four Star Hotel, shopping mall and conference facilities is set for construction in Kasama as part of the Northern Province Investments Expo scheduled for November 20th and 24th this year.
Discussions with the promoters of the Investments, Mikalile Investments have yielded positive outcomes and the projects which will create up to two thousand direct and indirect jobs at both Construction and operational stages.
Mikalile Investments who are currently operating a chain of Hotels in Zambia and other African Countries like Mozambique have indicated their readiness to commence works as soon as next month.
Among the Hotels operated by Mikalile is the Multi -Million Mika Convention Centre in Chongwe and the Mika Hotels in the plush area of Lusakas Kabulonga.
Mr Mulenga Mikalile assured me of the availability of financing to undertake this project which it is estimated could finish in three years.
We hope to see this and at least two other projects signed and sealed during the Expo slated for November.
We are happy to note that the Expo has already started delivering long before it is held. This is positive indications of good things to come.
What is exciting about the Investments pledges we are getting is that most of it is home grown.
ZAFFICO, a Forestry Processing Company has already started operations in the Province with close to 100 jobs created in Kasama at one of the three Plantations they are scheduled to open in the Province.
The other two Plantations will be set up in Mporokoso and Luwingu early next year.
We wish to encourage more local Zambian Investors to take advantage of the hue Investments opportunities ahead of foreign Investors so they could partner with them as they come into the Country.
It is clear that the Expo which will be held under the theme, ’’ Unlocking Investments Potential of the Northern Province, 100 years after the end of the First World War ’’ is certainly set to transform the fortunes of the Province.
Apart from creating a window into the several untapped Investments opportunities in Agriculture, Tourism, the Expo will showcase the Province as a destination for Mining, Energy and Oil Investments.
We are sure that the opening of a four Star Hotel in the Province wills treble tourist arrivals and Conferencing which will increase the contribution of the Province to the Gross Domestic Product of the Country.
This is in line with the Seventh National Development Plan which seeks to promote the use of Comparative and Competitive advantages to develop local economies.
Elias Kamanga
PS northern
