ZAMBIA (Commonwealth Union)_Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city, has long been one of the most attractive real estate investment location. But, what about other sections of the country? This month, we highlight Kalumbila, a town in North Western Province about 140 kilometres from Solwezi near the Solwezi – Mwinilunga Road (T5) that was proclaimed a district in 2015. Since then, a significant amount of effort and investment has gone into the early stages of Kalumbila town development.
When fully operational, the US$2.1 billion Sentinel copper mine developed by First Quantum Minerals Limited (FQM) will employ 1,788 direct employees and 1,276 locally based contractor individuals. It is a big mining operation in a previously undeveloped area.
An estimated 14,500 truckloads of construction steel material and earth moving equipment were used to rebuild 566 mud and grass-thatched houses scattered throughout the Miombo woodland. The mining region is alive with diverse activity, including a company that assembles Japanese-built Komastu tippers and graders, demonstrating the substantial investment that has been put in the project.
This planned town aims to be “the happiest city” in Zambia, if not Africa, and is designed by Zambian engineers, planners, property and environmental consultants to build a high-quality authorised town plan. After barely 18 months, the town already has a population of about 5,000 people. Based on economic expansion with Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the population is predicted to exceed 15,000 by 2020 and to become a new Zambian powerhouse metropolis the size of Kitwe by 2050.
Furthermore, the 100-hectare Kalumbila Industrial Park has attracted significant interest, with the first phase sold out and two huge international corporate enterprises establishing their Zambian headquarters there, creating more than 400 employment opportunities. The main central business district, which includes shops, markets, and offices, will also contribute to the town’s predicted rapid growth. A 54-bedroom apartment hotel, a 1,000-square-metre supermarket, ATMs for four banks, a gas filling station, and a 48-booth market square, among other things, have already opened.
Infrastructure has received significant investment. Under a public-private partnership agreement, North-West Water and Sewage Corporation will own and operate the water and sewerage system.
The new Lumwana-Lusaka 330kV power lines built by First Quantum in collaboration with Zesco supply the district’s electrical connection. An international-standard airport is also being built. A multi-facility economic zone is planned to cover the town in order to attract new enterprises and more investment into the district.
FQM has invested about $80 million in the construction of Kalumbila town, and the town is open to additional investment. This has produced several chances for investors, real estate developers, entrepreneurs, corporate, wholesale, and retailing enterprises, as well as small and major service providers, with many more on the way for this expanding town. Plots are available at reasonable prices throughout the town’s industrial, commercial, and residential sections.
Many Zambians have already invested in the town, and a number of home-grown companies, including construction, farming, and retailing, are being established. Kalumbila Town Development Corporation Limited (KTDC), a joint venture between FQM and local pension funds, is in charge of the city’s ongoing commercial development. Kalumbila is expected to follow in the footsteps of other renowned Zambian cities that grew from new mines, such as Solwezi, Kitwe, and Chingola.
