THE DIFFERENCE SEEMS THE SAME

Point number Four of the opposition UNITED PARTY FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ten point plan deals with how electricity loadshedding or rationing will be addressed or to stop, no power cuts anymore.

Mr. Hakainde Hichilema and his Colleagues are saying the solution is to discuss with the Private Sector to build more Power Stations from renewable sources of energy.

At the moment one of Zambia’s biggest economic problems is to deal with electricity that is critical for national development, be it in agricultural or Manufacturing Sectors.

What is the current Patriotic Front administration doing to tackle the power deficit which at some point during the year reached a record high of over 1000 megawatts?

The Patriotic Front resorted to power imports from Mozambique; there was talk also of tapping electricity from South Africa.

On the Local front, what has happened to address this annoying problem brought about due to the drought that ravaged the Southern African region?

Zesco entered into a public-private partnership agreement with Tata an Indian power Company to build a 120 megawatts Hydro Power Plant.

This plant has already been commissioned and it is feeding its electricity into the National grid easing pressure on the major power plants.

The International Finance Corporation a member of the World Bank Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Industrial Development Corporation-Zambia to construct two 50 Megawatts solar plants in Zambia.

The Industrial Development Corporation is to develop 600 Megawatts of Solar capacity in an attempt to help address the country’s ongoing power crisis.

My Analysis:

The plan of the UPND on electricity is not VERY ATTRACTIVE especially that under the current plans of the Patriotic Front, things have already started moving.

In an event that the UPND takes over the government during the 11th August general Elections, Mr. Hichilema and his Cabinet will have A WALK IN THE PARK situation because most of the paper work to encourage private players in the energy sector is in place.

Example number one is, Tata is a Private Company that has already entered the energy sector and that is the point number FOUR of the UPND Ten Point Plan.

Remember there is also the Construction of a 300 Megawatts Thermal power plant at Maamba Collieries Limited in Sinazongwe District of Southern Province is one such project aimed at reducing the power deficit.

Action-Aid Country Director Nalucha Ziba recently told the Speech Analyst that the difference between the PF and the UPND manifestoes is very slim; she said there is literally nothing peculiar between the two pieces.

The Speech Analyst