from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – STANBIC Bank Zambia has hailed regional power trading as a critical step in narrowing the country’s electricity shortfall and driving long-term energy resilience.
Speaking at the 2025 Energy Forum for Africa Conference in Lusaka, Chief Executive Mwindwa Siakalima said the emergence of power trading among Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and financiers across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is already easing Zambia’s energy deficit and bolstering economic growth prospects.
“Five or six years ago, power trading was rare. Today, it is becoming a vital sub-sector of energy that is making a huge impact,” Siakalima told journalists on the sidelines.
“Increased generation and trading will also help us achieve Zambia’s 5.8 percent economic growth target this year.”
Siakalima pointed to three key deals facilitated by Stanbic over the past year.
These include a $55.5 million facility with GreenCo Finance Solutions Limited to import 130MW of emergency power, a $71.5 million financing package for a 100MW solar project at Kariba North Bank Extension Power Corporation, and lead management of Copperbelt Energy Corporation’s $96.7 million green bond issuance.
“These partnerships show that the financial sector can play a leading role in delivering both immediate relief and sustainable solutions to Zambia’s power challenges,” he said.
President Hakainde Hichilema, opening the three-day forum under the theme “Investment Opportunities in the Energy Sector in Zambia and Africa”, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to energy sector reforms.
“Universal access to electricity is fundamental to both economic and social growth. We must accelerate reforms and mobilise resources to meet demand,” Hichilema said.
In a parallel development, Zambia’s Acting Energy Minister Elvis Nkandu and Botswana’s Energy Minister Bogolo Joy Kenewendo signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding on cross-border energy cooperation.
The agreement paves the way for joint infrastructure projects, renewable energy development and regional integration.
Kenewendo praised the breakthrough: “This MoU has taken years, but it sets the foundation for shared energy access and a brighter future for both countries.”
With demand for power rising across SADC, stakeholders say initiatives like regional trading and private-sector financing will be crucial in meeting Africa’s development goals.
– CAJ News