Shanghai Construction Group Company to ‘set’ base in Zambia

A Chinese Construction Company undertaking a cross section of works in Zambia has pledged to provide the best quality services with a view to establishing its stay in the country.

Shanghai Construction Group Company Limited (SCG) Deputy General Manager in charge of International Department, Xun Xiaohui says his company, which has conducted a number of construction works across Africa, has a vision to find a base in Zambia following the warm relations it has established from the government.

Mr. Xun told a group of African scribes that visited his company in Shanghai that his firm has established good relations with a number of African countries following satisfactory construction works it has conducted there.

He said Shanghai Construction Group Company limited (SCG) has conducted various construction works in Africa such as modern highways, bridges, roads, stadia, conference centres and other infrastructure, resulting in the firm gaining a good reputation as a reliable quality service provider.

Mr. Xun also said his company has since then acquired numerous contracts running while others have just been entered into.

He pointed out that Zambia has the highest number of such contracts in Africa.

“We are looking at possibilities of setting a base in Africa as the continent is a leader of our services and any country in high demand of our services may be the possible future base,” he said.

The SCG Deputy General Manager disclosed that his company has undertaken over 160 projects in 40 countries and regions resulting in the company raising over US $10 billion in revenue collection, adding that the African market is topping the company’s service demand.

Mr. Xun further disclosed that after realising that Africa is the largest market for his company, SCG intends to further develop highways, railway lines, airports and other projects in countries where it has already held construction works if they request the services as directed by the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Africa in May this year.

And, SCG Overseas Business Department Second Subsidiary Director of Office Interpreter, Li Lin told a ZANIS staffer in an interview that her company entered the Zambian market in 2002 when it was contracted to complete the then marooned New now Government Complex in Kamwala area.

Ms. Li said after satisfactorily finishing the Government Complex, her company won the tender to construct the banquet hall and conference centre within the building in 2009 which was also financed by the Chinese government.

She said the third project her company undertook was the construction of the 50,000 capacity National Heroes stadium in Lusaka which was started in mid July 2011 and completed in August 2013.

Ms. Li said the construction of the National Heroes Stadium is the biggest project the SCG has undertaken in Zambia using the concessional loan from the China Export and Import Bank at a cost of 94 million US dollars.

She disclosed that the government in 2012 requested the company to consider the project of engineering, designing, rehabilitating and constructing parking areas and access road in and to the new stadium which tender SCG won.

Ms. Li further disclosed that the parking and access road project was divided into two phases starting with the surrounding road, the square and the parking lots of the stadium which are scheduled to be completed before the commemoration of the Independence Day celebrations later this month.

The SCG Director of Overseas Department further stated that the second phase includes part of the Great North road, an interchange, an overpass and other access roads to the stadium, the project she said is scheduled to be taken in 12 months.

Ms. Li has since requested the Zambian government to expedite the release of funds appropriately to enable the company complete the task within the stipulated time.

“We will take efforts to complete the objective while we expect the government of Zambia to provide more support on the funds appropriations as we will try our best to complete the whole work with good quality on time,” said Ms. Li.

Other projects under the construction of the SCG includes the Chipata-Lundazi road named as ‘M12’ and the Lundazi-Chama named ‘D103’ which make up part of the national highway network of Zambia.

Ms. Li said the Chipata-Lundazi road starts from the junction of the M12 and T4 and ends at the junction of the D103 and RD105 in Chama.

She said the project is under the funding of the concessional loan from the China Export and Import Bank at a cost of 90 million US dollars and covers a total length of about 123 kilometres (km).

Ms. Li said the contract for the project was signed last year between her company and the Zambian government but the project will officially start on the agreed date when the business contract comes into effect.

“We signed the construction contract with the Zambian government in 2013. However, the project will officially start when date of the business contract come into valid between the Zambian government and China Export and Import Bank,” she said.

SCG is listed as one of the top 225 international contractors by the US Engineering News Records (ENR) and as one of the top 30 Chinese construction enterprises.

In Africa, the company has notably constructed the Malawi International Conference Centre and Business Hotel project, Gabon National Stadium and Gabonese Senate Hall, Friendship Hall in Sudan, International Conference Centre in Cairo, Egypt, Flyover project in Guttra, Ethiopia and Water Supply project in Luanda, Angola among other projects in other countries across the globe.