Mbuji-Mayi, March 30th, 2021 (CPA) – The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in charge of Infrastructures, Public Works (ITP), Willy N’Gopoos, proceeded on Saturday evening, to the start of the works of the asphalting of 25.36 km of the main arteries of Mbuji-Mayi city, capital of Kasai Oriental province, during a related ceremony organized on the post office of this metropolis.
This work is part of « Tshilejelu » project initiated by the President of the Republic that the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of ITP has just launched for the greater Kasai in general and Kasai Oriental in particular, from the world capital industrial diamond.
In the presence of the special advisor to the Head of State in charge of infrastructure, Theo Tshilumba Kabeya, the president of the Provincial Assembly, Yves Muamba, the deputy governor, Jeannette Longa Muswamba, as well as the general directors of OVD, FONER and of CREC-7, Willy N’Gopoos kicked off this work on avenue Lumumba in front of the post office, by pouring red earth into it using a loader shovel that he drove for this purpose.
On this occasion, the general director of the Office of Roads and Drainage (OVD), Victor Tumba Tshikela, informed that this is the work of the first phase, of which Kinshasa city is 40 km away and the great Kasaï 25.36 km from the roads of Mbuji-Mayi, 35 km for Kananga city in Kasaï Central, 10 km in Kabinda city and 5 km from the railway city of Mwene-Ditu in Lomami province. Tshikapa city in Kasai province will benefit from 15 km while that of Lusambo in Sankuru will have 10 km to asphalt.
The road modernization works in all these provinces are spread over a period of 36 months.
The works are being carried out by the Chinese company CREC-7 with public-private partnership (PPP) financing. The government’s share is provided through the National Road Maintenance Fund (FONER). The ITP ministry acts as the contracting authority and OVD as the delegated contracting authority,
DG Ntumba of OVD thanked the President of the Republic for having initiated this project, with a view to the materialization of his vision « The people first » consisting in improving the living environment of the population by making available to them good infrastructure, especially urban roads.
For his part, the provincial governor, Jean Maweja Muteba, paid a heartfelt tribute to the Head of State Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, for having chosen Kasai-Oriental among the beneficiary provinces of the pilot project (Tshilejilu), the fight erosion control program and Nkuadi-Nkusu voluntary agricultural program (PVA) in Tshilenge territory already under construction. He asked the East Kasai people to take ownership of the said work and to secure the tools and materials. ACP /