Zambia To Import & Ration Electricity Amidst Drought

Zambia has formulated strategies to import and manage electricity as a terrible drought threatens to impact hydropower generation, the nation’s primary power source, media.

• Zambia has formulated strategies to import and manage electricity as a terrible drought threatens to impact hydropower generation.
• The ongoing dry spell, declared a national disaster, is expected to adversely affect food production and is likely to have repercussions on the mining sector.
• The energy sector is expected to face a deficit of nearly 450 to over 500 megawatts this year due to the prolonged dry spell.

This was revealed by President Hakainde Hichilema on Thursday in a live television broadcast to the nation.

The ongoing dry spell, declared a national disaster, is expected to adversely affect food production and is likely to have repercussions on the mining sector.

Zambia is the second-largest copper producer in Africa. Hichilema mentioned that the energy sector is expected to face a deficit of nearly 450 to over 500 megawatts this year due to the prolonged dry spell.

To address the impact of the drought, Hichilema announced plans to re-align the 2024 national budget, directing more resources toward mitigation efforts.

“The current projections are that over a million farming households will be affected,” he said, adding that the drought had destroyed about 1 million hectares of the 2.2 million planted crops.

Zambia defaulted three years ago and is currently seeking to renegotiate its debt under the G20 Common Framework, a program aimed at facilitating rapid and seamless debt restructurings for low-income nations. Hichilema stressed the critical nature of Zambia’s situation and urged both official and private creditors to hasten the debt restructuring process.

“If this process does not close, it’s not just an indictment on Zambia but the global system,” Hichilema said.

Hichilema urged multilateral development agencies and donor countries to provide humanitarian support to Zambia, including food assistance. He mentioned that commitments from Britain, the United Nations, and the World Bank had already been secured to aid Zambia in addressing the challenges posed by the drought.