CEMENT maker Lafarge SA said yesterday the building of its Randfontein plant, a key part of its plans to increase production by about a quarter, was on track to meet its October completion deadline, despite power cuts experienced earlier this year.

Katsina State House of Assembly has attributed the increasing rate of accidents along Katsina highways to the nonchallant attitude of construction firms that indiscriminately dig up holes and fail to fill them on time as well as failure to put caution signs while undertaking repair works on the roads.

Construction of the FUFA technical centre will take off next Tuesday after the involved parties agreed on the bill of quantities.

Opec Prime Properties Ltd, the company that won a tender to re-develop the dilapidated Naguru/Nakawa housing estates has issued a notice of intention to sue the government for breach of contract.

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza inaugurated a new bridge on Wednesday over the Lucheringo river, linking the districts of Muembe and Sanga in the northern province of Niassa.

A new public toilet will soon be constructed at the Warda junction in Yaounde. The former public toilet which served Yaounde inhabitants for a good number of years, had gone out of use.

A regional centre for the sheltering, education and social insertion of children, with the capacity for 125 kids, shall be built within a year in Lubango district, south Huíla province, in the light of the government's programme of social reintegration of disadvantaged minors.

THE Ministry of Defence yesterday maintained that it had informed the Arovlei community about a Ministry building being erected in their midst, but pleaded for patience before it tells them again.

"ONLY two foreign companies are doing 60% of the available construction jobs. A country which has no local construction industry is not going to grow," the chairman of the Uganda National Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors (UNABCEC), Gumisiriza Birantana, has said.

Kampala

Former prime minister Edward Lowassa yesterday broke his silence over his alleged involvement in the controversial construction of a multiple-storey building at the headquarters of CCM's youth wing, UVCCM.

The minister of Assistance and Social Welfare, João Baptista Kussumua is expected on Thursday, here, to attend the ceremony of entrusting construction and rehabilitation works of social infrastructures in some wards of Huambo district.

The construction of the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga is taking place on 118 hectares of land which has recently been restored to the Matsafeni community.

The construction of phase two of the Freedom Park has commenced and is set to be completed by March next year.

CHAIRMAN of Patani Local Government Council, Mrs. Josephine Abeki has frowned at the rate with which contractors abandon projects after receiving a better payment of the contract sum.

Senate Committee on Works has called on the Federal Government to draw up a contract financing policy, to enhance proper monitoring of projects and ensure early completion.

Over 1000 farmers in Argungu Emirate penultimate Thursday, attempted to lynch the Kebbi State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu and the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Mera at the Emir's palace protesting the siting of the N18 billion Zauro Polder irrigation project in Argungu. Aliyu who is the chairman, technical advisory committee on the project, had to be bundled out of the palace with the aid of security men.

Confusion surrounds the construction of a new access road to link the Centenary Leisure Park and upcoming Oasis Shopping Mall/Hotel following renewed rivalry between the developers.

The executive of Kigali City Council recently met and discussed many issues with the city residents, during an occasion organised by KCC at its headquarters in Nyarugenge.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Grace Ekpiwhre has called for a strict implementation of a Local Content Policy for all major engineering contracts.