Zambia’s Ministry of Energy has announced that it has finalised a deal for the installation of 50 megawatts (MW) of solar power across 209 public institutions in the country’s Eastern Province.
In a statement on its official Facebook page, the Ministry said the deal is between Zambian firm Accura Logistics and international investor Baker Tilly Global Capital Africa and will see 209 public institutions being electrified with solar power in the Eastern Province.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, the country’s Minister of Energy, Makozo Chikote said the agreement reflected the government’s strong commitment to delivering practical results in the energy sector.
The initiative is part of the Presidential Solar Initiative under Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema which targets the addition of 1,000MW of solar energy to Zambia’s national grid by end of 2025.
“The partnership between a local Zambian company and a global financial institution was a clear sign of growing investor confidence in Zambia’s economy.
“The solar installations would benefit essential public institutions, including schools and hospitals, enhancing service delivery and improving the quality of life for communities in Eastern Province”, Minister Chikote said.
He credited the deal to the leadership of President Hichilema which has undertaken wide-ranging reforms to create a more predictable and investor-friendly environment.
One such reform is the reduced approval period for solar project applications from over six months to just 48 hours announced in April this year.
The policy reform was instrumental in Zambia’s approval of 62 licenses for electricity projects, some of which were the 200km 330kV Kalumbila-Kolwezi Interconnector Project (KKIP), 100MW solar power plant in Mumbwa, and the 8MW off-grid solar PV plant with battery storage in the country’s North-Western Province.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Founder and Principal Officer of Baker Tilly Global Capital Africa, Douglas Baker said his firm was proud to be contributing to long-term solutions for Zambia’s electricity deficit.
“We are committed to delivering high-quality solar energy solutions that directly benefits the Zambian people and supports the country’s development goals”, Baker said.
