By 
Former Kasenengwa Member of Parliament, Sensio Banda, has faulted systemic policy failures for Zambia’s recurring fuel shortages, dismissing government explanations that recent disruptions were caused by logistical bottlenecks.
Banda argued that the Ministry of Energy’s admission that petroleum was transported almost exclusively by road reveals deep structural weaknesses in the country’s energy policy.
“This choice exposes Zambia to predictable disruptions such as port congestion, border delays, and regional policy shifts. That’s not just logistics—it’s poor long-term planning,” he said in a statement.
He pointed to the Energy Regulation Board’s (ERB) reference to Zimbabwe’s refundable transit tax—which has forced rerouting of fuel through longer corridors—as evidence of Southern Africa’s known volatility.
According to him, such risks should have been anticipated and mitigated through proactive diplomacy and strategic investment.
“Zambia has had years of experience with the unpredictability of Southern Africa’s transit environment. Effective governance would mean bilateral agreements with neighbouring states, diversified entry routes, and investment in domestic storage or refining facilities. We’re not seeing that,” he said.
The former lawmaker also criticised government’s reliance on traditional fuel supply corridors such as Beira and Dar es Salaam, despite their chronic congestion.
“These are not new issues. The fact that we’re still so dependent on these corridors shows a lack of strategic vision. By now, we should have invested in alternative entry points, expanded storage infrastructure, or pursued regional refining partnerships,” Banda added.
He dismissed short-term measures such as pre-clearing imports and easing tanker-hiring restrictions as “temporary patches” that fail to address Zambia’s long-term vulnerabilities.
“These are knee-jerk responses. They do not build resilience into our fuel supply chain. What we need is a clear, long-term policy framework that includes reserve strategies, domestic refining, and regional transit guarantees. Unless Zambia addresses these systemic weaknesses, fuel disruptions will remain a recurring crisis,” he warned.
On Friday, Energy Minister, Makozo Chikote, has said that preliminary investigations indicate reported diesel shortages in Zambia were localized and linked to supply chain bottlenecks.
However, Devon Oil Zambia has challenged government’s position, saying that more than 123 filling stations have run dry despite 36 million metric tonnes of diesel being held in TAZAMA tanks in Ndola.
Devon Managing Director, Chombe Gondwe, said government’s refusal to offload the company’s diesel, even after a throughput agreement, had worsened the shortage.
“There is a throughput agreement between Devon and TAZAMA. We do not understand why government is interfering and preventing the release of stock,” Gondwe said, adding that Devon was ready to supply fuel to avert the crisis.
Minister Chikote, in a statement issued on Friday, said the Ministry of Energy, together with the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) and other stakeholders, were working to stabilise and normalise the fuel market.
“Going forward, we are implementing both short-term and long-term measures to ensure stable and predictable access to fuel across Zambia,” he said.
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