At least Zambia cannot blame apartheid for the fact that only 25% of its population has access to electricity!
The Zambezi River winds its way through six countries in Africa, starting in north-western Zambia and finishing in the Indian Ocean.
The Kariba Dam was the first to be built on the river and is one of the largest in the world.
It sits in a gorge between Zambia and Zimbabwe and is something of a tourist attraction, with visitors marvelling at its size and distinctive curves.
But there is a problem – this 55-year-old structure is starting to show its age.
The plunge pool downstream of the dam wall is threatening to erode the foundations of the huge dam itself.
“It is an unfortunate and serious prospect,” says Partson Mbiriri, chairman of the Zambezi River Authority.
If the wall were to fail then some 3.5 million people could be flooded downstream, leading to a significant loss of life and livelihoods.
This is unlikely to happen though, as the authorities have secured $100m (£64m) from the global community to shore up the dam’s defences.
The Zambian government realises it has a problem.
The deputy energy minister, Charles Zulu, recently admitted at a conference that only about 25% of the country has access to electricity.
So the government is hoping it can entice private investors to take part in the expansion of the energy sector.
They are looking at geothermal and coal, as well as upgrading hydropower stations elsewhere in the country.
That would not only help combat the frequent power shortages, but also place less reliance on the output from the Kariba Dam.
Will other countries follow?
It is something that other African countries are keen to do as well.
South Africa, the continent’s most advanced economy, is undergoing a severe power crisis.
No new power stations have been built since the end of apartheid in 1994.
The government there also wants to introduce renewables into its energy mix.
What is clear for all involved is that you cannot grow your economy until everyone, even in the smallest village, has access to affordable and reliable energy.”…
South Africa Today Africa – Southern Africa Zambia News
