In an effort to enhance transparency within the Zambia road sector, the Government of Zambia has launched the country’s first technical audit of various roads in a project that is estimated to cost ZMW 1.5 million.
The technical audit, which will last for a period of three months, will be completed by Scott Wilson Piesold Zambia Limited and monitored by the Zambia National Road Fund Agency (NRFA).
According to the Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary, Felix Nkulukusa, who spoke at a recent press briefing in Lusaka, the technical audit will change the face of the road sector by holding contractors accountable for poor quality work.
Mr. Nkulukusa went on to indicate that the results of the audit will help to improve the implementation of road contracts.
According to Antony Mwanaumo, the director and chief executive officer of the NRFA, the technical audit will evaluate a variety of projects that are completed as well as those that are on-going and those in the defects liability period.
Dr. Mwanaumo has indicated that the purpose of the technical audit is to verify that resources are being utilized efficiently, transparently and cost-effectively and to determine whether specified construction and maintenance interventions are consistent with feasibility studies, designs, and planning by implementation agencies as well as to verify that they are adhering to contract specifications.
As of December 2013, the Zambia core road network reportedly contained 40,445km of roads that would require continuous maintenance including trunk roads, main roads, district roads, urban roads and primary feeder roads.
