President Hichilema Holds Emergency Meeting To Combat Energy Shortages

President Hakainde Hichilema has held an emergency meeting to battle current energy shortages in Zambia.

The meeting saw various stakeholders come together to fix the issue surrounding load shedding and the Kariba Dam.

Following the meeting, President Hichilema released a statement saying, “We acknowledged the fact that the dam is managed as a common resource owned by two countries and therefore that its utilization is a bilateral matter that requires further harmonization.”

Further, he outlined “The challenges of load shedding affords us a rare opportunity to provide a long-term resolution to a matter that has dogged our country for 50 years. We acknowledge these problems and will not shy away from finding lasting solutions.”

In one solution to end current shortages, the New Dawn government announced their plans to mitigate the impacts of load shedding on small businesses, farmers and citizens. This includes plans to accelerate the process of bringing more private businesses into the sector.

He also called for independent, private businesses to step into the sector, stating that he would work to remove any unnecessary red tape that could impede their entry into the market.

Following a visit to the Kariba North Bank and Maamba, the president also announced that another emergency meeting will take place today.

Previously, the president has outlined that he is confident that today’s challenges will be resolved using lasting solutions to ensure that the same shortages do not happen again.