Browsing by Author "MAKUBALO, William"

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    Factors contributing to delays of selected government construction projects in Lusaka, Zambia
    (University of Lusaka, 2025) MAKUBALO, William
    In Zambia, most government projects are finished beyond the original time frames that were established. Project delays hinder growth, have enormous financial consequences for society, and damage the reputations of those involved in carrying out the initiatives. The country's backlog of projects has seen a rise in funding in recent years, but the people who stand to gain from these projects don't care that the infrastructure gets completed. This study set out to investigate the causes of the delays in government construction projects in Lusaka, Zambia. The research design used in the study was descriptive, and it combined quantitative and qualitative approaches. All stakeholders in the construction industry based in Lusaka made up the study population. Using a census, the researcher selected all the potential participants from the study population, from which 71 successfully completed the closed ended questions. Stakeholder involvement, project budgeting and fiscal management, and project management practices comprised the three primary categories into which the study divided the causes of delay. Regression and theme analysis were utilised in the study to analyse the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Delays in government construction projects can stem from various factors such as inadequate project planning and management, leading to budget overruns, design errors, procurement issues and bureaucratic red tape and administrative inefficiencies. The World Bank's research highlights the above challenges, which can impact project timelines and delivery schedules. Regarding the hypotheses tested, it was found that there was no significant relationship between project management practices and delays in government construction projects, nor between stakeholder involvement and project delays. However, there was a notable correlation between project budgeting and fiscal management and delays, indicating that effective management of financial resources could mitigate project delays in government construction endeavours. Government construction projects in Zambia often face delays due to weak project planning, bureaucratic procedures, and external factors like weather, limited resources, and labor conflicts. The World Bank's research highlights these challenges, which can impact project timelines and delivery schedules. The study found that project management practices, including planning, initiation, execution, monitoring, control, and closure, are crucial for project success, with prepared plans being a foundational element. Rigorously prepared plans are foundations for project success according to several studies. It was discovered that stakeholders’ such as clients’ payments for the contractor's labour caused delays which have a negative impact on the project timeframe. Studies found that contractor's lack of experience, inadequate administration and oversight of the project site, and insufficient funding to begin the job are stakeholder related causes of project delays. Prior research indicates that financial management and project budgeting play a role in the delays that occur in building projects. All initiatives in the public sector should utilise efficient project planning and commencement procedures. Adopting and consistently implementing best practices for project management throughout the organisation will help achieve this. Additionally, this study suggests emphasizing implementation efforts to guarantee that plans are carried out successfully to completely achieve goals. According to the terms of the building contract, the customer must honour payments made to contractors in a timely manner. At the implementation stage, the client and users must make sure there are enough financial resources for the project to prevent work from stopping on-site owing to cash flow issues. To reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, the government should give employees greater authority and reduce the hierarchy of the organizational structure. This would ensure that decisions are made by people other than those at the top. Key words: Construction Delays, Project management practices, budgeting and fiscal management, stakeholder involvement