LUSAKA – ZESCO Board chairperson Chibwe Mwelwa heaped praise on President Edgar Chagwa Lungu for building on late president Kenneth Kaunda’s infrastructure legacy and made Zambia a power-hub in southern region.
Mr Mwelwa said this on Friday, at the commissioning of the 750MW Kafue Lower Gorge project in Chikankata constitutency, Southern Province.
Mwelwa added that electricity generation is vital in the development of any nation.
President Kenneth Kaunda was the last to commission a power project in 1977.
Since the ruling Patriotic Front popular victory in 2011, they have embarked on a number of projects across the country.
“And because of these projects, Zambia in the whole of Southern Africa, is the highest producer of electricity.
“The PF Government under the remarkable leadership of His Excellence Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu has connected Southern Province, North-Western Province, and other parts of Zambia which were not part of the national grid.
“This is essential for national development for instance, you need energy to run industries, or mines or even running a chigayo at the market, you need power, because power drives the economy,” he explained.
The board Chairperson further stated that Zambia used to have about 600,000 households connected to the national grid but the current government had doubled the digits to over 1,300,000 users in terms of power generation, which is unprecedented.
President Lungu’s vision to develop the copper-rich country has made it become the highest producer of electricity in southern region.
In addition, it now has after 57 years of Independence the capacity to export power to neighbouring countries, a huge milestone for the country and ZESCO in particular.
President Lungu was in Chikankata district, Southern province to launch the Kafue Lower Gorge Hydro power project, one of the three major game changer projects.
He was received by Patriotic Front National Chairman and ZRA board chairman, Southern province permanent secretary, Lusaka province permanent secretary, ZESCO managing director and board members, IDC group CEO.
Present at the occasion was China representative to Zambia, PF Southern province chairman, Southern Province Presidential campaign coordinator, PF adopted candidate for Chikankata constitutency, and other senior Government and party officials.
President Lungu is expected to win convincingly the country’s general elections slated for August 2021 with many bookmakers applauding him for the hard work he has exhibited since his ascendancy to the top.
