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Zambia’s national electricity access rate has increased from 34 percent to 54 percent, with rural access rising from 8 percent to 34 percent and urban access improving from 69 percent to 80 percent, authorities have claimed.
Energy Minister Makozo Chikote also assured that the Zambian government remained focused on increasing renewable power generation.
Chikote said this during the official launch of the 2025 Energy Week in Lusaka on Monday at the ministry, under the theme “Advancing Towards a Sustainable Energy Future.”
He cited the commissioning of the 100MW Phase 1 Chisamba Solar Power Plant as a milestone and reaffirmed that Zambia was on course to deliver an additional 1,000MW of solar PV capacity by the end of 2025.
“This is in line with President Hichilema’s directive, to help eliminate load shedding,” Chikote said.
He said this year’s theme underscored government’s commitment to attracting investment and ensuring Zambia’s long-term energy security, particularly in the wake of the severe drought experienced during the 2023/2024 rainy season.
Chikote reaffirmed that the government remained determined to provide sustainable solutions and build robust, climate-resilient energy systems through a series of reforms in both the electricity and petroleum sub-sectors.
“Key reforms in the electricity sector include Net Metering were households and businesses can now install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and feed excess electricity into the national grid for monetary credit,” he said.
Chikote announced that ZESCO Limited had launched a promotional campaign to install 1,000 net metering systems free of charge, and that citizens were encouraged to apply at ZESCO service centres nationwide.
On Open Access Framework, the Minister stated that the policy reform allowed private players fair and transparent access to the transmission and distribution network, enabling independent power producers to sell electricity directly to customers without ZESCO being the sole off-taker.
“Single Energy Licensing System: By streamlining licensing and permitting processes among Government agencies, this reform reduces regulatory delays, cuts the cost of doing business, and minimises risks for new energy investors,” he said.
Additionally, to promote renewable and alternative energy technologies, the government had introduced tax and import duty incentives and simplified import procedures, he added.
Chikote urged businesses to pass these savings on to consumers to help make renewable energy products more affordable for households and businesses.
In the petroleum sector, the Minister highlighted the implementation of an open access policy for the TAZAMA Pipeline, which now allowed licensed oil marketing companies to use the pipeline on a competitive basis.
“This has improved operational efficiency and contributed to lower fuel pump prices for citizens countrywide,” Chikote said.
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