Falling copper prices affect payment to contractors working on government projects in Eastern Province.

Government has attributed the delay in paying contractors working on most developmental projects in Eastern Province to the fall of the copper price.
Eastern Province Permanent Secretary, Chanda Kasolo told Breeze News that the fall in the copper price has negatively affected the release of money by the treasury to provinces.
Mr. Kasolo says that this is the major reason why government is struggling to pay most contractors that receive their payments directly from government and not donors.
He explained that despite government not being directly involved in the sale of copper, the country gets its income from the sale of copper by the mining companies.
The permanent secretary however, says that the delay in paying contractors will not have a negative effect on the construction works because government is working hard in ensuring that every little resource they have, goes to the developmental projects.
And Mr. Kasolo says that he has engaged the RDA, Road Development Agency, to ensure that the road works on the Nyimba-Petauke stretch of the Great East Road is of good quality and completed before the end of this year.
He applauded motor, Engil, a Portuguese company working on the expansion of the road from Petauke to Chipata for doing an excellent job.
Meanwhile government will pay China Janxi, the contractor working on the Chipata-Chadiza-Vubwi road in two weeks’ time so that the company resumes work.