No new promises on power, says Hichilema
By George Zulu
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 yesterday, Hichilema said the current hardship caused by the lack of electricity had severely affected households and small businesses.
He said his government shared the pain Zambians were facing as a result of the lack of electricity.
Hichilema said he appreciated the patience of the people, saying he did not take the patience for granted.
He said his government was spending sleepless nights to find a lasting solution to the power crisis the people of Zambia were facing.
And Hichilema said the shortage of electricity was as a result of underinvestment in the sector.
He said that while electricity demand had increased, generation capacity remained at about 3,000 megawatts for the past 40 years.
Hichilema pleaded with the people of Zambia not to blame each other for the crisis but to work together to find faster solutions.
He highlighted the need for sweeping policy reforms, including the implementation of cost-reflective tariffs that would attract more investment in the sector, as well as diversification.
Hichilema said the country needed a policy shift to bear positive results to address the challenges the nation was facing.
He said at the moment the changes made so far were 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 many.
He said much more effort was needed to attract additional investment in the sector.
