The government has challenged Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to participate in the country’s energy diversification agenda.
Assistant Energy Director at the Ministry of Energy Mafayo Ziba said there is an urgent need for NGOs to get involved in the promotion, development and provision of renewable energy, as an alternative source of power.
Addressing over twenty NGOs drawn from across the country, during a training workshop, Mr Ziba said the government is spearheading the involvement of NGOs promoting renewable energy solutions, in order to diversify the country’s electricity generation mix.
ZANIS reports that Mr Ziba said the government sourced 40 million pounds from the European Union under the four year Increased Access to Electricity and Renewable Energy Production (IAEREP) project, towards supporting efforts to improve access to electricity in rural areas and promote the development of renewable energy solutions in Zambia.
He regretted that there is reduced advocacy and participation in the renewable energy sector and hoped that the training workshop will increase awareness and present opportunities for engagement in the sector.
And IAEREP Team Leader Alexander Filippov called for massive investment in the renewable energy sector by the Private Sector and NGOs.
Mr Filippov said the IAEREP project is designed to enhance the policy, legal and regulatory framework to support development of the renewable energy sector in the country.
He said IAEREP intends to build capacity of public and private organisations to promote renewable energy solutions as well as continuously revise the legal regulatory framework.
Mr Filippov explained that some of the benefits of the policy, legal and regulatory reviews will see the implementation of net metering regulation, which will allow installation and facilitation of energy generation at micro level, with excess being sold to the national grid.
And speaking at the same training workshop, Zambia NGO Council Chairperson MacDonald Chipenzi urged NGOs to take advantage of the support, to invest in renewable energy as an alternative energy source.
This development will go nowhere. The twenty Ngo’s involved will all start off enthusiastically, only to switch off after having been confronted with the ludicrous bureaucracy created by the government and the ERB. So many time consuming rules, regulations, permits and licenses are required (with associated registration fees) that any viable projects are killed off before fruition.