Zambia aims to double power generation by 2030

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema says the country needs to double its power generation to grow the economy.

A recently released National Development Plan and Green Paper hopes to achieve the feat by 2030.

The country, Africa’s second-biggest copper producer, has an electricity generation capacity of 3,500 megawatts and last month signed a $2bn (£1.6bn) deal with the United Arab Emirates to build solar plants.

"We were only able to invest in 3,500MW in 57 years. This means we were sleeping on duty," President Hichilema said on Wednesday after he commissioned a 33MW solar plant in the northern town of Kitwe.

The head of Zambia's power supplier, Copperbelt Energy Corporation, said the country has potential to become a hub for regional power trade.

“Our energy resources should earn us a lot more of the much-needed foreign exchange and help power employment of more of our youths across various value chains,” Owen Silavwe said.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: @HHichilema Twitter