Neo Colonialism Leads to Zambia Power Crisis

News:

On 1st February, 2025 The Zambia’s Energy Regulation Board (ERB) extended the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) emergency electricity tariffs for an additional three months, that is from February 1st to April 30, 2025, as the country continues to struggle with a severe power crisis. (Lusaka Times 2/02/2025)

Comment:

Energy Regulation Board (ERB) approved ZESCOs emergence tariffs to help the firm generate about $15 million monthly from retail customers to contribute toward the importation of 788 megawatts of electricity. Despite the emergence tariff application, ZESCO has not met its revenue target raising only $10 million in two months of November and December.

Following the new emergence tariffs, the electricity price for customers who use between 200 units and 300 units has been increased by 53 ngwee (0.0019$) per unit, those who use between 300 units and 400 units by 85 ngwee (0.0036$) per unit and those who use 400 units and 500 units by K1.27 ngwee (0.0133$) per unit. The proposed increase is, therefore, 50% and 156% and the average percentage increase is 82.75% across all customer categories.

This is not the first time ZESCO has increased the electricity price in the name of emergence tariffs; in 2019 it was done by an average of 113%, yet to date nothing serious has been done to improve the situation.

It is quite pathetic that Zambia which produces most of its power from Kariba dam, the world’s largest human-made lake constructed between 1955 and 1959 by British colonial master for its mineral exploitation at her colonized area namely Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Zambia, Zimbambwe and Malawi) still even after flag independence under neo colonial track pursues the similar path.

Western multi-national Copperbelt Energy Corporation, a privately-owned company, purchases 55% of the power generated by ZESCO and supplies it to the mines while only 25% of Zambians enjoyed access to it, while in rural areas is less than 5%.

The deficit which necessitated the emergence of said tariffs is only 700-1300MW, while Zambia has the potential to generate 2,300 MW from solar facilities and 3,000 MW via wind. Only by these two sources she could adequately solves its power crisis.

The repercussion of these tariffs would end up being the unbearable burden to the people and become further impediment of power accessibility to poor communities.

This situation is a product of neo colonialism by which capitalist nations made the world especially developing nations to believe that taxes are only way of generating state revenues.

Africa in spite of her massive resources would never be independent and be able to proper solve her problems within Western colonial capitalist system. Radical change is needed of adopting fair ideology of Islam that has capacity to bring over solutions for all human problems and produce capable leaders of undertaking those solutions.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Said Bitomwa
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Tanzania