President Hakainde Hichilema says he will not make any new promises in the energy sector because more work needs to be done to improve electricity production.
Speaking when he opened the Fifth Session of the 13th National Assembly in Lusaka on Friday, President Hichilema says the current hardship caused by the lack of electricity has severely affected households and small businesses, a pain he shares with those affected.
The Head of State says he appreciates the patience of Zambians but does not take it for granted, emphasizing that he is spending sleepless nights to find a lasting solution to the power crisis.
And the president has attributed the shortage of electricity to decades of underinvestment in the sector, noting that while demand has grown, electricity generation capacity has remained at about 3,000 megawatts for the past 40 years.
He has stressed that this is not the time to blame each other but to work together in order to find faster solutions.
The head of state has highlighted the need for sweeping policy reforms, including the implementation of cost-reflective tariffs that will attract more investment in the sector as well as the diversification of the sector
He says the policy changes made so far under his administration are already bearing fruit, citing projects such as the 300MW Phase Two Maamba Collieries expansion, the 94MW Copperbelt Energy solar project, and the 100MW Chisamba solar project among money other.
He, however, says more still needs to be done to ensure the country attracts additional investment in the sector.
President Hichilema has further encouraged parliamentarians to adopt solar energy and sell their excess supply to the national grid, saying this would help make electricity more accessible to small businesses such as salons and barbershops, as well as to the mining and agriculture sectors.
By Prudence Chota
