By Masauso Mkwayaya
President HAKAINDE HICHILEMA says the reforms that Government has undertaken across various sectors have created new investment opportunities that never existed before.
President HICHILEMA says reforms in the energy sector, such as the Open Access and Net Metering policies, have opened the door for private sector participation in power generation and supply.
Speaking on Wednesday when he met Zambia’s Honorary Consuls to several European Union countries, who led a delegation of private sector investors, at State House President HICHILEMA, said Government has addressed most of the bottlenecks that previously slowed down projects implementation.
He urged the Honorary Consuls to leverage Zambia’s unique advantages, such as the absence of exchange controls, which in other countries restrict or regulate the buying and selling of foreign currency.
At the same meeting, Energy Minister MAKOZO CHIKOTE said the visiting investors have expressed interest in investing in the coal sector to support electricity generation.
Mr. CHIKOTE said the investors recognize that other sectors of the economy can only thrive if there is adequate power supply.
And Head of Delegation Dr. JAN TRAECKNER said many of the Honorary Consuls were proud to serve Zambia and are eager to help attract investment into the country’s energy sector to drive economic growth.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s Ambassador to Germany, WINNIE CHIBESAKUNDA, said the Consuls have been instrumental in identifying key projects, including those in renewable energy and battery technology.
