Zesco Chief Executive Justin Lungo
Energy leaders convened a high-level meeting in Lusaka this week southern african power pool (SAPP), bringing the future of the region's power systems firmly into focus.
Against the backdrop of rising electricity demand, aging infrastructure and rising climate pressures, delegates stressed the urgent need to strengthen cross-border transmission and distribution networks while accelerating investment in diverse and flexible energy sources.
The discussion highlighted how regional cooperation can help stabilize electricity supplies in member countries Climate change continues to disrupt traditional hydroelectric power generation And put pressure on the national grid.
Participants called for coordinated planning, expanded regional interconnectors and greater private sector participation to support a more flexible power system capable of integration. Renewable energy Ensuring reliable power to homes and industries.
The meeting brought together 350 representatives from 17 power utilities from the 12-member SAPP, which was created by SADC in 1995.
“As we reflect on the achievements of the past three decades, we must also recognize that the sector now stands at a critical juncture,” Justin Lungo, chief executive of Zesco, Zambia's state electricity utility, said at the meeting.
“Across Southern Africa, demand for electricity is increasing rapidly due to industrial development, population growth and expanding economic activity,” he said.
Power utilities in the region have increasingly adopted cooperation rather than working in isolation, recognizing that delivering power to their countries requires close coordination, cross-border power trading and joint planning.
The private sector wants SAPP to play a leading role in distributing power resources from surplus systems to deficit markets to power industrial activity by harnessing the region's vast energy resources, including solar, hydro, geothermal and emerging gas potential.
“Some systems have surplus capacity while others continue to face deficit,” said Padmore Muleya, board chairperson of Kanona Power. Kanona Power, which is developing the $100 million Zambia-Tanzania interconnector. “The Power Pool exists to bridge this imbalance.”
Muleya said stronger regional interconnections are essential to meet growing electricity demand driven by expanding mining activity in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe and the rest of the region.
Governments want utilities to prioritize stronger transmission networks and diversify power sources to ensure citizens across the region have access to affordable electricity.
Zambia's Energy Minister Makose Chikote said, “As government, we challenge SAPS to adopt off-grid solutions that are grid-ready to allow seamless integration into the national grid in the future.”
The Lusaka discussion promotes the broader continental ambition of expanding electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030, under support by the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Mission 300 InitiativeWhich aims to accelerate investment and regional cooperation to reduce Africa's energy access gap.
According to data shared at the meeting, SAPP has contributed to reducing energy povertyAverage national access to electricity to increase from 23.9% in 2018 to 29% in 2024.