President Hichilema Calls for Accelerated Investment to Transform Zambia’s Energy Sector
President Hichilema Urges Urgent Energy Investment to Boost Industrial Growth and Power Zambia’s Economy
President Hakainde Hichilema has called for urgent and scaled-up investment in Zambia’s energy sector, describing reliable power supply as a cornerstone of the country’s economic transformation and industrial growth.
Speaking at the 4th Public–Private Dialogue Forum in Lusaka, the President said Zambia must increase its power generation capacity to at least 10,000 megawatts to meet growing industrial demand and attract long-term private sector investment.
He highlighted ongoing reforms, particularly the implementation of the Electricity Open Access Policy, which has opened the sector to greater participation by Independent Power Producers and Private Power Traders.
The reforms, he said, have strengthened competition, expanded power supply options, and enabled the private sector to supplement ZESCO during periods of power stress, helping to prevent deeper economic disruptions.
President Hichilema noted that broader economic reforms have created a more predictable investment environment and improved revenue collection from the mining sector, with increased revenues supporting critical social services such as free education.
He stressed that all investments, including small-scale power projects of about two megawatts, are vital to national energy security and play an important role in stabilising the electricity grid.
The President expressed concern over delays in the Zambia–Tanzania Interconnector project and called for its expedited completion to unlock regional electricity trade between Zambia and East Africa.
He also revealed ongoing engagements with Zimbabwe to expand cross-border power transmission capacity, aimed at enhancing regional cooperation, improving supply reliability, and positioning Zambia for increased power exports, particularly to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Hichilema further emphasised the need to streamline licensing procedures to accelerate energy investments and called for increased digitalisation across the sector to reduce human interference and curb corruption.
Meanwhile, Public–Private Dialogue Forum Director General Andrew Chipwende reaffirmed that energy remains a national priority and encouraged private sector stakeholders to actively contribute to shaping reforms and investment initiatives.
Representatives from the manufacturing sector commended the Government for maintaining a consistent policy environment, noting that improvements in energy availability helped manufacturing contribute 9.3 percent to Zambia’s GDP in 2024—the highest level since 1990.
They also welcomed the President’s announcement that Private Sector Day will be gazetted, describing it as a significant step toward deepening collaboration and sustaining industrial growth anchored on reliable electricity supply.
