Beyond the drought: How Zambia is rewiring its destiny for a 10,000MW future

When the rains failed Zambia in the 2023/24 season, they did more than just dry up our crops; they exposed a hard truth we had postponed confronting for decades.

With reservoirs at critical lows, a nation that relied on hydropower for over 80% of its electricity was plunged into darkness. Households survived on three hours of power a day, and industries gasped for energy to keep running.

When President Hakainde Hichilema commissioned the 136MW Itimpi Phase II Solar Plant in Kitwe, the narrative shifted . We are no longer victims of climate change; we are becoming architects of resilience.

This is not merely the commissioning of a power plant; it is the commissioning of a new Zambia, one that is open for business, bankable, and rising.

A strategic pivot, not a political slogan

In the aftermath of the drought, many expected temporary fixes. Instead, we witnessed radical, decisive leadership. President Hichilema declared that the power situation would improve "not by chance," but through deliberate policy . That policy has been a masterclass in crisis management.

The administration immediately accelerated reforms that were gathering dust for years. The introduction of the Electricity Open Access Initiative has shattered the old monopoly, allowing private players to generate power and sell it directly to consumers .

The bureaucratic red tape that once took six months to approve a solar project has been slashed to just 48 hours .

The result? A surge in investor confidence that is turning our energy mix from a liability into a strength. We have moved from a nation pleading for rain to a nation building solar fields.

The 100MW Chisamba plant (one of Africa’s largest), and now the Itimpi facility, built in partnership with CEC, TBEA Co., Ltd., and the People’s Republic of China, are proof that public-private partnerships can deliver tangible assets, not just press releases .

Fueling the copper dream

Leadership is ultimately about connectivity. What happens in Kitwe’s energy sector directly affects the farmer in Luano and a fisherman in Mbabala.

President Hichilema’s ambition to raise copper production to 3 million metric tons by 2031 is inextricably linked to this energy revolution .

You cannot run a mine without stable power, and you cannot build a school in a rural constituency without the taxes that copper brings.

By securing over $12 billion in mining investment and stabilising the grid, this administration is laying the fiscal foundation for us to triple the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), now at a historic K40 million per constituency .

For our people in the rural areas, this isn't about megawatts; it's about the bursary that keeps a girl in school, the clinic that finally gets a maternity wing, and the feeder road that takes maize to market.

The credibility premium

The world is watching Zambia, and for the first time in a decade, they like what they see. The International Monetary Fund recently approved a $190 million disbursement, praising our fiscal discipline and forecasting GDP growth to hit 5.8% in 2026 . Inflation is trending downward, and debt restructuring is holding steady .

This economic credibility is the soil in which our 10,000MW target by 2030 will grow . We are not just chasing light; we are chasing industrialisation. With 3,000MW planned from coal, 3,300MW from solar and wind, and modernised hydro plants, Zambia is positioning itself as the industrial powerhouse of Southern Africa .

President Hakainde Hichilema has shown that African leadership does not have to be defined by reactionary chaos. It can be defined by strategic foresight. The lights are coming back on in Kitwe, and with the right leadership in Parliament, they will soon shine brighter than ever across the country.

The drought taught us we were fragile. The Itimpi Solar Plant proves we are formidable.