President Hakainde Hichilema says the government regrets the compounding energy crisis in the country and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to do everything it could to reduce the impact on citizens and the economy.
“Our resolve is to turn these challenges into opportunities to make Zambia energy surplus. Our government is working round the clock to find lasting solutions to this historical challenge,” Hichilema said in his State of the Nation address when he opened the fourth session of Parliament.
He acknowledged the negative impact of the drought on most of the sectors of the economy, particularly the agriculture, water, and energy sectors.
“Inevitably, this has affected the livelihoods of our people. Our food security has been threatened. Our electricity generation is at its lowest resulting in long hours of load shedding to completely no power for days for some. This is regrettable, and we sympathize with our fellow citizens for the difficulties they are enduring during this time.”
Hichilema says the government shares the pain citizens are going through and is enhancing coping capacities for people by implementing various recovery and resilience interventions to mitigate climate change impact.
“In light of these interventions, we commend our citizens for their resilience and patience, and the civil society, the Church, and the international community for their support,” Hichilema said.
He expressed concern over the debilitating effects of the drought on the energy sector, which has cut economic growth by more than half, from 4.7 percent to 2.3 percent. “The electricity sub-sector, which is predominantly hydroelectric, has experienced a significant decline in electricity generation due to low water levels.”
Hichilema said the government is promoting alternative sources of electricity generation in a bid to shift the country from over-dependence on hydroelectric power. “ZESCO Limited, with various partners, including those from China, is spearheading the development of several solar electricity projects.”
He further cited the Net Metering mechanism, which allows citizens to produce electricity and feed the excess into the national grid. “We encourage citizens to explore and adopt alternative sustainable energy sources, reducing our reliance on traditional power.”
In addition to the different steps the government has taken to close the drought-induced electricity deficit, Hichilema said the government is providing humanitarian relief to communities in the 84 districts affected by the drought.
He says the government is assisting vulnerable households with food relief, such as the drought emergency cash transfers to help people adversely impacted by the food shortage and the cash-for-work program.
“The program is providing financial relief to individuals in exchange for their labor to undertake public works on a temporary basis.”
He said, “To further cushion beneficiary households from the effects of the drought, the regular social cash transfer beneficiary households are now receiving a top-up of K200 per month for a period of 12 months, starting from June this year. This money is making a significant difference in the lives of our people.”
About 2.5 million households are currently receiving cash support from the government, in addition to other welfare services. “There are some families who can still not afford even after these measures, so these are add-ons, they are not options of this or that,” Hichilema said.
Hichilema says the drought has also negatively impacted the nutrition status of children, breastfeeding, and pregnant women who are at risk of malnutrition.
“In this regard, the government is distributing high-energy, high-protein supplements to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers as well as children to avoid malnutrition,” Hichilema said.
Hichilema said Zambia yielded only 31 percent of the expected total crop output from the 2023-2024 farming season because of the El Nino weather. From a cultivated hectarage of 2.2 million hectares, only 684,000 hectares of maize cultivated land survived the drought scourge.
