KEY POINTS
- Zambia launches the ELECT Project to cut energy demand.
- Energy-efficient lighting anchors early actions.
- National targets include a 2 percent annual reduction.
Zambia has launched a new clean energy initiative that places efficiency and practical delivery at the center of its power sector strategy, as the country looks to ease pressure on the national grid and lower long-term costs for consumers.
From policy to delivery
The Energy Efficiency Lighting for Clean Energy Transition in Zambia, known as the ELECT Project, was introduced through a partnership involving government agencies, academic institutions, and international cooperating partners. Officials say the programme reflects a shift away from broad policy intent toward implementation that can be measured on the ground.
Energy Minister Makozo Chikote described the project as a turning point in how Zambia approaches its energy transition. While the government continues to expand generation capacity and diversify the energy mix, he said demand-side action has become increasingly important. Energy-efficient lighting offers immediate gains by reducing electricity consumption, easing strain on the grid, and cutting costs for households and businesses.
The ELECT Project is aligned with Zambia’s National Energy Policy of 2019 and the Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan adopted in 2022. Under those frameworks, Zambia is targeting a 2 percent annual reduction in total primary energy supply through 2030, using 2018 as the baseline year. By the end of the decade, national energy intensity is expected to fall to 76 percent of its 2018 level.
Government officials say meeting those targets will require regulatory reforms, stronger benchmarks for industry, market-based incentives, and better coordination across institutions. Energy pricing is also expected to play a role in encouraging adoption of efficient technologies, alongside broader public awareness and capacity-building efforts that include women in energy decision-making.
Efficiency takes center stage
Chikote stressed that technology alone will not deliver lasting results. He said building local skills and institutional capacity remains critical if Zambia is to sustain progress toward a more reliable and efficient energy system.
The Finnish ambassador to Zambia said the ELECT Project will run for three years and is designed to promote collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers. The programme also aims to close persistent data gaps on energy use, particularly in public buildings.
In October 2024, the UN Environment Programme Copenhagen Climate Centre worked with Zambian ministries and stakeholders to identify efficiency measures that could be deployed immediately. The review highlighted opportunities to install high-efficiency LED lighting in public facilities such as hospitals, improve building insulation to limit energy loss, introduce hybrid ventilation systems to reduce dependence on air conditioning, and expand clean cooking solutions in institutional kitchens.
The ELECT Project builds on earlier initiatives. In September, the Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa Programme launched the EELA Zambia Country Window Project, which targets rising electricity demand in households and industry, particularly in rural areas, according to ESI Africa. That programme focuses on lowering energy costs, improving industrial competitiveness, and reducing carbon emissions.
Together, these efforts signal a more execution-focused phase in Zambia’s clean energy transition, with efficiency emerging as a central pillar rather than a secondary consideration.
