ZAMBIA HEADS REGIONAL ARM OF ROAD FUND ASSOCIATION

Zambia, through the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) and it’s Director/ Chief Executive officer Eng. Wallece Mumba was unanimously voted to lead the African Road Maintenance
Fund Association Southern Africa Focal Group (ASAFG).
Zambia was elected by 7 out of the 8 member countries at the 2nd ASAFG meeting that ran
from the 26th August to the 31 st of August, 2018 in Maseru, Lesotho.
In his acceptance speech , Eng. Mumba said the association stood beyond sharing best
practices on road maintenance financing and resource mobilisation but begins an era of the
implementation of critical innovative strategies that will help member countries move
towards achieving not only sustainable road funds but maintain their relevance in the
development agenda of the region and beyond.
“As Zambia we are grateful for this opportunity to chair the Southern Africa Focal Group and
look forward to learning from each other through not only meetings such as this platform but
country exchange visits that will help us learn from each other first-hand what each member
country is doing and share that knowledge to better our institutions and road financing.”
He said emphasis must be placed on finding strategies of responding to the challenges road
funds face such as widening funding gap and increasing needs on road maintenance and in
some cases the lack of its prioritization.
Eng. Mumba noted that Africa also faces challenges of adverse climatic changes which
require road funds to stay one step ahead in preserving the road asset in the light of its
ravaging effects and further stressed the need for correspondence between increasing road
user charges which include tolls and well maintained roads and assurance in value for money.
“It goes without saying that well developed and maintained road network systems are the
arteries that drive socio and economic development in our countries and create a road linked
Africa, which is the backbone to inter country trade. It is also very critical for us to realise
that it is our roads that build the economy and not the economy that builds roads.”
ARMFA is a non-political and non-governmental association established in 2003 by African
countries that have Road Funds. The ARMFA is divided into four arms of governance, the
Eastern, Southern, Western and Central African regions Focal Groups.
The Southern Africa Focal Group consists of member countries, Lesotho, Namibia, Comoros,
Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Zambia was voted Chairperson
of the ASAFG replacing Madagascar while Mozambique took the vice Chairmanship of the
ASAFG following a unanimous vote.
The association offers a platform for the exchange of information and ideas among member
countries and creating an enabling environment for members to interact in the areas of road
maintenance, which Zambia has been part of for a decade.

And the Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ) has learnt with pleasure the election of
National Road Fund (NRFA) and its CEO, Eng Wallece Mumba as Chairperson of the
African Road Maintenance Fund Association Southern Africa Focal Group (ASAFG).
EIZ Registrar and CEO, Newton Zulu said the election of NRFA in general and Eng Mumba
in particular attests to the highest esteem in which Zambian institutions and professionals are
held in the continent.
“We wish Eng. Mumba every success during his tenure at the helm of ASAFG.”
Eng. Mumba who is a member of the EIZ was recently awarded fellowship to the EIZ during
its 2018 General Assembly held in May 2018 in Livingstone.