The Centre for Trade Policy and Development, CTPD, has urged stakeholders to prioritize rural energy access and adopt innovative Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to expand electricity supply to underserved communities.
A recent survey report by the Ministry of Energy in 2024 revealed that while 53.6% of households have access to electricity at national level 53.6% of households have access to electricity and out of this only 34% of people in rural areas has access to electricity while 80.3% accessed in urban areas.
CTPD Legal Researcher, Lucy Musonda, said that PPAs are emerging as a transformative solution to bridge the existing energy gap.
“PPAs that are deliberately intended to provide energy for rural communities can stimulate projects that also improve socio-economic development by boosting agricultural efficiency through crop irrigation and Agro-processing,” said Ms. Musonda in a statement issued to RCV News in Lusaka today.
Ms. Musonda further stated that there is need to ensure that the energy sector addresses challenges inhibiting private sector investment and take deliberate steps in ensuring that the PPAs being negotiated target rural areas.
By Cynthia Lupiya
