Govt. pushes for competitive construction industry

The Zambian government has stepped up its push for a stronger, highly competitive construction industry aimed at accelerating job creation, fostering local skills development, and anchoring broader economic growth. Speaking through key infrastructure and planning bodies, authorities have stressed that sustainable national development requires robust local participation, transparent regulatory oversight, and adherence to international quality standards across the entire construction value chain. In recent policy engagements, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development has underscored the necessity of moving beyond reliance on foreign entities by systematically empowering indigenous contractors. Officials noted that unlocking bottlenecks in public and private infrastructure projects depends heavily on cultivating a competent domestic contractor base capable of executing high-value civil works efficiently. This strategic pivot is designed to retain capital within the country, stimulate domestic manufacturing of building materials, and ensure that wealth generated from capital projects directly benefits ordinary citizens. Industry stakeholders, including the National Council for Construction (NCC), have echoed these sentiments, pointing out that competitiveness in the sector hinges on adopting modern technological innovations and strengthening soft infrastructure such as professional training and certification. By bringing together policymakers, financial institutions, and industry practitioners through dialogue platforms, the government seeks to address perennial challenges such as restricted access to capital, delayed payments, and technical capacity gaps that have historically disadvantaged local firms against larger international competitors. Furthermore, this push aligns with the wider macroeconomic framework championed by the New Dawn administration, which views infrastructure development as a critical catalyst for regional trade and industri