LUSAKA — The government has launched a K2.4 billion rural electrification programme that officials say will transform access to power for communities long left off the national grid. President Hakainde Hichilema announced the initiative at a ceremony in Petauke, Eastern Province, where Mwale Banda, a smallholder farmer, became the first beneficiary under the expanded scheme.
Energy Minister Peter Kapala said ZESCO would work alongside independent power producers and solar mini-grid operators to accelerate connections in 340 chiefdoms. The programme draws funding from the national budget, concessional loans and development partners including the African Development Bank.
Under the plan, households within five kilometres of existing transmission lines will receive subsidised connections, while remote settlements will be served through solar-hybrid systems maintained by community energy cooperatives. Joseph Mwila, ZESCO managing director, said the utility had already procured 2,400 kilometres of low-voltage cabling and 18,000 prepaid metres.
In the Copperbelt, where mining towns enjoy near-universal access, the contrast with surrounding rural wards has fuelled migration and informal settlement growth. Mutale Chisanga, a policy analyst at ZIPAR, said electrification could stem youth exodus by enabling agro-processing and digital services in villages.
Parliament’s Committee on Energy welcomed the announcement but urged strict procurement oversight after previous rural electrification projects faced delays. Opposition MPs questioned whether tariff subsidies for new rural consumers would strain ZESCO’s already fragile balance sheet amid recurring load-shedding.
The first phase, costing K680 million, will connect 420,000 households by December 2027. Nchimunya Phiri, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy, said contractors had been pre-qualified and environmental assessments were under way in sensitive wildlife corridors near Kafue National Park.
For families like the Bandas in Petauke, the connection means children can study after dusk, clinics can refrigerate vaccines and small businesses can extend operating hours. “We have waited twenty years for this line to reach our village,” Mwale Banda said. “Tonight our home will have light for the first time.”
