A Zambian railway project designed to link the copper mining region in the north-west with smelters and refineries north of Lusaka has attracted intense interest from contractors in Europe, China and South Africa, DPA QUOTED Zambian officials as saying. The chairman of the Solwezi-Chingola railway, Enock Kavindele, described as overwhelming the response to the call for tenders for equipment required in the construction of the railway, which is projected to cost 460 million dollars. Solwezi in the north-west is located about 200 kilometres from Chingola. The government hopes to eventually extend the railway across the border into Angola where it would hook up with the Benguela railway line that runs to the west coast. The Zambian government has promised to provide 230 million dollars towards the railway and is also courting funding from the South African Development Bank (SADB) and the private sector, acting treasury secretary James Mulungushi said. SADB has promised to fund the project if classified as a priority project under the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). Some 21 companies, from Zambia and abroad, including Austria, China, Britain, France, Italy, South Africa and Switzerland have expressed interest in supplying equipment for the railway. Mining companies have welcomed the planned railway, saying it will help expedite the shipping of copper concentrate to smelters in the Copperbelt. Roads leading to Lusaka from the north-west have suffered heavy damage from the constant flow of lorries transporting copper concentrate. The railway is part of the government's attempts to attract foreign investment at a time when rising raw material prices have triggered fresh interest in mining in Africa.
