LUSAKA -- The Zambian government has engaged China Geo-Engineering Corporation to construct feeder roads in four of the country's 10 provinces, a government official said on Saturday.

George Manyele, acting director of the Road Development Agency (RDA), a government agency responsible for the construction of roads, said the Chinese firm has been engaged to construct 1,000 kilometers of feeder roads under the national feeder road project.

He told Minister of Finance Bwalya Ng'andu who was inspecting the upgrading of roads in Mungwi district in the northern part of the country that intention was to upgrade the roads to good standards, according to the state broadcaster, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.

The project to upgrade roads into all-weather gravel will be implemented in Northern, Northwestern, Central and Copperbelt provinces, he added.

He noted that all road works were being carried out under the concept of output-based performance contracts which will see the contractor carry out major rehabilitation to the roads in a period of two years.