Zambian President Edgar Lungu announced on Tuesday that Chinese aerospace firm Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) International has been awarded with the contract to construct approximately 2,350 houses for the country’s police force.
In remarks made during a groundbreaking ceremony for the first 48 houses in Zambia's capital of Lusaka, President Lungu expressed confidence that AVIC will finish the project by the end of March next year.
The houses to be constructed, which have a total cost of around $320 million, will help address the current housing problem for Zambia's security wings, he added.
Administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the security wings include the Zambia Police, Immigration Department, Zambia Prison Service, and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).
According to data from the ministry, it currently has a housing deficit of around 12,000 houses.
Lungu said that lack of decent housing is a challenge for the entire country and that his government is determined to develop initiatives to provide decent housing for the entire country.
Home Affairs minister Davies Mwila said that the project will see 1,454 houses built for Zambia's police officers, 677 for the Prison Service, 117 for the Immigration Department, and 102 for the DEC.
Gong Jiauan, senior vice president of AVIC International, said that the company will ensure it builds houses of good quality and assured that the project will be completed upon the contracted time.
AVIC will work with local suppliers during the construction period for the project, which will provide jobs for the locals, he added.