Serenje - Nakonde Road Link 1 (Serenje - Mpika) is a road project serving Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It seeks to reduce travel time, improve safety and strengthen corridor access through construction, rehabilitation or capacity upgrading of the named route. The 238.3 km Serenje–Mpika road underwent updated environmental and social preparation in 2024. By the 2025 assessment, the project was in advanced procurement/preparation rather than completed construction.
<p>The Serenje-Nakonde project road runs in a north eastern direction from Serenje in Zambia's Central Province to Nakonde (at the border post between Zambia and Tanzania) in the Northern Province covering a total distance of 611.5 km. The road is divided in 3 links: Link 1: Serenje to Mpika (238.3 km), Link 2: Mpika to Chinsali (164.6 k), Link 3: Chinsali to Nakonde (208.6 km) The Serenje-Nakonde road is part of the Regional Trunk Road Network (RTRN Link 15) as well as the Trans-African Highway Nr 4.</p>
<p>The overall objective of the NSC AfT Programme is to contribute to the reduction of the cost of transport along the North-South and Dar Es Salaam Corridors so as to improve the competitiveness of business in the 8 countries served by this road/rail corridor in general and producers and consumers in Zambia and DRC especially. The efficient operation of transport along this corridor also provides further opportunities to deepen regional integration as well as enhance national and regional economic growth and so raise standards of living of their people across the region. The specific objective is to contribute to the upgrading of the Serenje-Nakonde section of the NSC road network through the rehabilitation of the 3 road links to a design pavement life of twenty (20) years, which represents a cost-effective and economically justified standard.</p>