Kitwe,Zambia, Botswana seal power trade deal

By BUUMBA CHIMBULU

ZAMBIA and Botswana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will unlock cross-border electricity trade and strengthen regional energy cooperation.
The agreement, signed yesterday in Lusaka at the 2025 Energy Forum for Africa, allows for the export and trading of power between the two countries, linking northern and southern Africa to broader markets.
This comes a day after President Hakainde Hichilema urged African nations to accelerate the development of regional power interconnectors, stressing that improved energy cooperation is critical to driving food security through irrigation and powering industrial growth.
President Hichilema said Africa must dismantle “artificial boundaries” in the power sector by investing in cross-border infrastructure that will enable electricity sharing across regions. The MoU was signed by acting Energy Minister Elvis Nkandu and Botswana’s Minister of Electricity and Energy, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo.
Mr Nkandu hailed the pact as a milestone in regional collaboration, noting that it covers not only electricity but also petroleum products.
“We need to ensure we have the infrastructure to transmit energy both ways, while also expanding cooperation in downstream petroleum supplies,” he said.
Ms Kenewendo described the deal as critical to strengthening the Southern African Power Pool.
“When our infrastructure is weak, the entire region is compromised. This MoU marks a shift in how we cooperate and develop together,” she said, urging partners to support feasibility studies, power plant construction, and distribution networks.
The Zambia-Botswana partnership is expected to accelerate that vision and attract financing for energy infrastructure projects that will benefit the wider region.