CHIKWANDA CALLS FOR CONSUMER BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE 

ENERGY Expert, Johnston Chikwanda has said Zambia will save a lot of electricity from the savings, arising from the consumer behavioural change, which can potentially reduce the hours as well as the frequency of load shedding.

Speaking to The Scoop, Dr. Chikwanda said such a move will also positively contribute to reduced power imports thereby saving the Government much more resources to channel to other needy areas during this period.

“There is a need to take a deep dive, marinate and process the issues which have beset us in the past regarding our inability to implement adequate renewable energy projects despite having known for a long time of the consequences of over depending on one source of energy only, Hydro Electric,” Dr. Chikwanda said.

He said the country needed to re-design its cumbersome and lengthy energy sector to make it easier and faster for investors to establish their operations without losing them in the cracks.

He said the Government should accelerate the restructuring of the customer journey from the one the country had been using.

He stated that as Zambia was in a hurry to develop, there was a need for a friendly customer journey with simplified procedures in permit acquisition for investors in the energy sector.

“Let us all work together to ameliorate the energy deficit impact by making it affordable for everyone to get products,” he said.

His hope was that this was the last energy poverty being experienced as a country and emphasized that as the country had gone through this before, it was time to join hands and let no crisis go to waste.