By the EditorZambia
There is a vicious, misplaced campaign to singularly blame President Hakainde Hichilema and his administration for the electricity challenges Zambia has faced over the years.
It is easy to play the blame game and criticise willy-nilly, but building something that endures is not. 
These critics are ever eager to pounce on any perceived misstep, conveniently ignoring a fundamental truth.
The electricity challenges facing Zambia today are not the product of this government’s policies. Rather, these challenges culminate from the tragic legacy of decades of under-investment and poor planning by previous administrations.
To understand Zambia’s current energy predicament, we must first look backwards and examine the decisions that were not made, the right investments that were not prioritised, and the warnings that were left unheeded by governments that came before.
Truth be told, when President Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) assumed office, they inherited an energy sector in critical condition.
For years, successive governments, without exception had treated electricity generation as an afterthought rather than a strategic national priority.
Under the Patriotic Front (PF), investment in the energy sector was lukewarm. Maintenance of existing infrastructure was deferred.
Most critically, no meaningful efforts were made to diversify the energy portfolio beyond hydropower in the wake of climate change that has affected the whole world.
The statistics tell a damning story: Zambia’s electricity generation capacity had stagnated for decades. The nation remained almost entirely dependent on hydroelectric power, a sector vulnerable to the vagaries of rainfall and climate patterns.
When drought struck, as it inevitably did, the country had nowhere to turn. Power cuts became routine, industries ground to a halt, hospitals struggled to maintain operations, businesses relocated, and jobs disappeared.
This was not a problem created by the current administration; it was a problem created by a generation of leaders who lacked the vision, courage, or competence to invest in the future.
President Hichilema has held the bull by its horns, put his political survival aside and has taken decisive policy decisions aimed at correcting the mistakes of the past regimes.
These decisions are aimed at resolving the energy challenges Zambia has faced over the years.
The PF chose short-term political convenience over long-term national development. They borrowed without building. They consumed without creating. Now, a nation is paying the price, and President shoulders the blame!
Furthermore, one needs to understand global economic realities to further contextualise Zambia’s energy challenges. In short, one must acknowledge the global economic environment in which they manifest.
The world economy is under profound strain. According to both the World Bank and the OECD, global growth has decelerated to its slowest pace since 2008, outside of recession years.
Globally, trade barriers are rising. Protectionism has returned. The era of predictable, rapid global integration has given way to uncertainty and fragmentation.
It is worth to note that developing nations dependent on commodity exports, particularly those in Africa and these conditions create a perfect storm. Foreign direct investment dries up. Capital for infrastructure development becomes scarce and expensive.
Countries such as Zambia and most of the sub region, already struggling with energy infrastructure face even greater obstacles in financing the solutions they desperately need.
Yet despite these headwinds, President Hichilema’s New Dawn government has not used global challenges as an excuse for inaction. Instead, it has doubled up on solutions.
As a government taking decisive action, the UPND administration’s approach to energy challenges stands in stark contrast to the passivity of its predecessors.
Rather than accept load-shedding as inevitable, the government has launched an ambitious, multi-faceted energy strategy designed to transform Zambia’s electricity landscape.
First, the government recognises that hydro power alone can not sustain a nation’s electricity needs, especially in an era of climatic uncertainty.
Therefore, it is aggressively pursuing solar energy development. Solar installations across the country are expanding, providing both utility-scale and distributed generation capacity.
These investments are creating jobs, empowering communities, and adding desperately needed megawatts to the national grid.
Second, the government is planning to invest in wind energy. Zambia’s geographical and climatic conditions present significant wind energy potential, particularly in certain regions of the country. Wind farms under development will further diversify the energy mix and provide a complement to solar generation during different seasons and weather patterns.
Third, thermal energy solutions are being pursued in Maamba. Thermal plants in Maamba are a bridge, while renewable capacity is being expanded.
These facilities, powered by increasingly efficient technologies, provide base-load power that ensures national grid stability while cleaner alternatives are scaled up.
Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, the government is refurbishing and expanding existing hydroelectric facilities. Investments in dam maintenance, turbine replacement, and capacity expansion at key hydro sites are underway.
Here is the summary of projects currently underway and others done:
• Maamba Collieries Expansion Thermal Plant (300MW): Very soon it start feeding into the national grid and stabilising supply.
• Chisamba Solar Phase Two Project (100MW):
• Another 100 MW Solar plant in the same area works are on course.
• Kafue Gorge Lower Hydro: Operational, contributing significantly to the national electricity mix.
• Capital Fertiliser Solar (40MW): Of the 40MW, 20 for self-consumption, 20MW to the national grid.
• Bangweulu and Ngonye Solar Extensions (80MW): Expansions underway to boost renewables.
• Private Sector Solar & Wind Investments: Over 400MW licensed and staggered for rollout by December 2025.
• 50-megawatts Mansa Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant by CGM Power Group Limited
• 50 MW solar pv power plant in Baluba Maposa, Luanshya district by Maposa solar company limited
• 60 MW solar pv power plant integrated with 20 MWH battery energy storage system (bess) in Choma district by Cooma solar power plant limited
• 28 MW solar pv power plant at Luanshya power station in Kapiri Mposhi district by Lunsemfwa hydro power limited
• 100 MW solar pv power plant in Chief Moono’s area, Mumbwa district by Sun Share Energy Limited
• 8MW off-grid solar pv power plant with 2.5MWH bess in Kasempa district by Sany International Zambia industrial company limited
• 25 MW phase II solar PV power plant in Serenje district by Solar Century One Power Limited
• 12 MW solar pv power plant in Fitula area, Chingola district by Fitula Solar Company Limited among others
• 2.5MW Chadiza Solar Project valued at K66.5 million in partnership with Indo Zambia Limited.
This addresses both the immediate crisis and ensures that hydropower is still a critical component of Zambia’s energy future. It remains a viable and productive source of electricity.
Do these projects look like the actions of a government asleep at the wheel? These are the actions of leaders who understand that energy security is economic security and who are willing to make difficult, long-term investments to achieve the intended solutions.
The economic stabilization imperative to appreciate the full scope of the government’s achievements, one must recognise that energy challenges can not be addressed in isolation from broader economic stabilisation.
A government can not invest in new energy infrastructure when it is drowning in debt, when investor confidence has evaporated, and when the currency is in free fall, as was the case in the previous government.
This is precisely why President Hichilema’s government prioritised debt restructuring and economic stabilisation.
The successful renegotiation of Zambia’s external debt was not merely an accounting exercise. It was a prerequisite for everything that follows.
By restoring credibility in international financial markets, the UPND government has created space for investment in critical sectors, including energy.
The results are undeniable. Zambia’s economy is now projected to expand by around 6% by the end of this year. This driven by strong copper prices and improved investor confidence.
The Kwacha has stabilised. Inflation, while still present, is moving in the right direction.
Crucially, the government now has fiscal capacity to invest in the energy infrastructure that previous administrations neglected.
A question of justice here is the essential question that critics of President Hichilema must confront. Why should a leader be punished for addressing problems he did not create?
The President did not create the energy crisis. The President did not choose to underinvest in power generation. The President did not leave the nation dependent on a single, climate-vulnerable source of electricity.
These were the choices or more accurately, the failures of choices, made by previous governments.
What President Hichilema has done is inherit this crisis and immediately set about solving it. He has pursued multiple pathways to energy security. He has stabilised the broader economy to create the financial capacity for these investments.
President Hichilema has rebuilt investor confidence so that private sector participation in energy projects becomes possible.
The President has engaged with international partners and institutions to unlock financing and expertise.
This, is the work of a serious leader committed to his nation’s long-term development.
To criticise him for the pace of change is to misunderstand both the scale of the challenge and the timeframe required for transformative infrastructure investment.
The path forward energy security in Zambia will not be achieved overnight. The problems accumulated over decades will take time to resolve.
For the first time in a generation, Zambia has a government with economic competence, strategic vision, and political will to actually solve them.
President Hichilema and the UPND government have not created the electricity crisis. They inherited it, acknowledged it, and committed to fixing it through diversified energy investments, economic stabilisation, and pragmatic engagement with both the private sector and the international community.
The question is not whether President Hichilema should be blamed for challenges he inherited. The question is whether Zambians will have the wisdom to support the very leader who is finally, decisively, addressing the challenges the country has beenfacing over the years? The answer should be clear, a yes.
