At least Zambia cannot blame apartheid for the fact that only 25% of its population has access to electricity!<\/p>\n
The Zambezi River winds its way through six countries in Africa, starting in north-western Zambia and finishing in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n
The Kariba Dam was the first to be built on the river and is one of the largest in the world.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But there is a problem – this 55-year-old structure is starting to show its age.<\/p>\n
The plunge pool downstream of the dam wall is threatening to erode the foundations of the huge dam itself.<\/p>\n
“It is an unfortunate and serious prospect,” says Partson Mbiriri, chairman of the Zambezi River Authority.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
This is unlikely to happen though, as the authorities have secured $100m (\u00a364m) from the global community to shore up the dam’s defences.<\/p>\n
The Zambian government realises it has a problem.<\/p>\n
The deputy energy minister, Charles Zulu, recently admitted at a conference that only about 25% of the country has access to electricity.<\/p>\n
So the government is hoping it can entice private investors to take part in the expansion of the energy sector.<\/p>\n
They are looking at geothermal and coal, as well as upgrading hydropower stations elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n
That would not only help combat the frequent power shortages, but also place less reliance on the output from the Kariba Dam.<\/p>\n
Will other countries follow?<\/p>\n
It is something that other African countries are keen to do as well.<\/p>\n
South Africa, the continent’s most advanced economy, is undergoing a severe power crisis.<\/p>\n
No new power stations have been built since the end of apartheid in 1994.
\nThe government there also wants to introduce renewables into its energy mix.<\/p>\n
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.”…<\/p>\n