Maravi

Goverment to act on Lusaka National Park encroachment

Goverment to act on Lusaka National Park encroachment
By Moses Kuwema
Thu 12 Apr. 2012, 13:27 CAT

FOREIGN affairs and tourism minister Given Lubinda says there is heavy encroachment on the land around the Lusaka National Park. In an interview, Lubinda said his ministry was discussing with the Ministry of Lands to try and resolve the matter.

"The establishment of the Lusaka park is ongoing. We are in dialogue with the Ministry of Lands because there is quite some heavy encroachment activities taking place in the land around the national park. I would hate to come up with a park in an area where there is unplanned developments because those two don't go together," he said.

"If you want to have a park that will be visited by people, it must be in an area where there is planned development. So I am discussing currently with the minister of lands to see how we should resolve that problem before we invest any further resources in the park and I am optimistic that my colleague, the minister responsible for land, will pay attention to the plight of the Ministry of Tourism, particularly ZAWA Zambia Wildlife Authority in coming up with a national park."

Lubinda said as soon as the issue of encroachment is settled, his ministry would get artistic designers who would provide the plan for the park.

"I don't want to have a park which is just a sanctuary of game. I want to have a park that is artistic, where people can go to do many other things besides game. I want a place where children can go and swim. I want a place where parents can go and relax. I also want a place that will have at least some facilities for people to stay. So I need an artistic vision of the whole place," he said.

Lubinda said once they were done with the artistic works, they would invite potential developers to bid for the works.

"I want that park to be run as a PPP Public Private Partnership, involving the public but also private stakeholders. So I have quite an ambitious programme and I think we will be rolling it out as we go along and I don't think it should take me more than a year before we commission everything," said Lubinda.

Labels: GAME PARKS, GIVEN LUBINDA, PPPs, ZAWA

posted by MrK @ 3:08 PM