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The Zambia Renewable Energy Association (ZARENA) has called for stronger measures to help Independent Power Producers (IPPs) access long-term financing and achieve full project bankability, saying current barriers are delaying the country’s energy transition.
ZARENA Executive Director, Chilala Bowa, told Zambia Monitor that despite increasing investor interest, IPPs continued to face regulatory complexity, off-taker risk, limited risk-mitigation instruments, and fragmented engagement between developers and financiers.
She said these challenges were slowing financial close for renewable projects and undermining Zambia’s efforts to strengthen energy security. “The next chapter is not about crisis response, but about building a resilient, financeable, and future-ready energy system,” Bowa said.
Bowa added that Zambia’s position within the Southern African Power Pool, along with abundant solar, biomass, wind and mini-hydro resources, created potential for the country to move from energy sufficiency to becoming an export-ready clean-power producer.
She said Zambia’s recent progress, including the end of load shedding, offered an opportunity to accelerate renewable diversification, grid resilience, and storage integration.
She also called for improved policy predictability, procurement clarity, and bankable project pipelines to attract private capital.
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