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Zambia’s national electricity utility, ZESCO, and Angola’s Anzana Electric Group (Anzana) have committed to the key terms of a joint venture to electrify millions of people along the Zambian portion of the Lobito Corridor.
According to a statement issued in Lusaka on Friday, the US$300 million investment will support the rehabilitation and expansion of the national electricity network, enabling first-time grid connections for nearly 2 million Zambians by 2030.
Thr statement stated that this aligned with the government’s target of universal access to electricity.
The agreement—witnessed by President Hakainde Hichilema during the first-ever Invest Zambia International Conference in Lusaka in July 2025—has now advanced into finalized terms, paving the way for blended commercial and concessional capital investments.
It further indicated that the partnership builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February 2025 between Anzana and Zambia’s Ministry of Energy.
“This is about more than infrastructure; it is about regional integration, jobs, and powering a better future for Zambians along the Lobito economic corridor,” said ZESCO Managing Director, Justin Loongo.
Loongo added that the agreement covers not only significant investments in electrifying households, businesses, and industry, but also in distributed generation to enhance supply reliability.
Anzana Chief Executive Officer, Brian Kelly, described the Lobito Corridor as a model for future regional trade and development.
“We are excited to partner with ZESCO and the government of Zambia to connect millions of Zambians to the opportunities that reliable electricity can enable,” Kelly said.
He highlighted Anzana’s regional experience, including the Weza Power project in Burundi, noting that the collaboration would advance new electricity generation—particularly run-of-river hydropower—and distribution in rural areas, which are critical to unlocking the Lobito Corridor’s full economic potential.
The Angola-Zambia-DRC Lobito Corridor is being developed as a strategic economic artery for Southern and Central Africa, enhancing trade between mineral-rich regions and global markets.
As part of the agreement, Anzana will lead a pilot project in North-Western Province to accelerate early connections beginning in 2026.
The statement indicated that together with other partners, the company will invest US$50 million to connect around 40,000 new households and businesses and add up to 8 megawatts of new generation over two years, before scaling to cover the wider corridor region.
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