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Zambia’s Energy Minister Makozo Chikote has called for partnerships in improving clean energy supply chains in the country.
Chikote said climate change seriously affected the country’s power generation as water levels in reservoirs went down leading to serious loadshedding and affecting economic activities.
The Minister said this during the Ministerial Breakfast Roundtable on Clean Energy Supply Chains at the Summit on the Future of Energy Security held in the United Kindom.
The summit was focused on strengthening energy security through clean energy supply chains, renewable energy technologies, critical mineral supply chains, and the need for multilateral collaboration to address global energy challenges.
The discussions also highlighted the importance of investment in renewables, energy efficiency, and energy access for both developed and developing countries, with a particular emphasis on how to ensure a secure and diversified energy future.
“The topic was very critical particularly for Zambia which was taught a big lesson by climate change,” Chikote stated in a statement released in Lusaka Saturday.
He added that Zambia depended on hydropower generation at 85 percent and as a copper producer, the country could not ramp up production with insufficient power.
“Zambia is a resource rich country in cobalt, lithium and these are the key minerals that address the clean power energy we are talking about to make sure that our supply chain is efficient and we are able to participate in finding solutions to the challenges the globe is facing,” Chikote said.
He stated that Zambia had decided to take the route of promoting solar energy.
Chikote also informed the meeting that Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya were promoting an interconnector to address power challenges in the region.
He urged countries to apply their energy to issues of access to clean energies and not concentrate on talk-shows.
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“Zambia believes that public/private partnerships were critical to driving economies,” Chikote said.
Earlier, the Minister had an engagement with the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Dr. Fatil Birol, who pledged support for Zambia.
Birol emphasized that the IEA would leverage its influence to connect Zambia with the right financiers, investors, and other key stakeholders to promote clean energy supply chains.
The Minister is accompanied to the summit by Director, Planning and Information Mwape Chipala and Senior Financial Analyst – Petroleum Allan Mtonga.
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