DPP Urges Zambia Power Supplier to Suspend Export of Power Amid Severe Load Shedding

The newly Zambian launched Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has called on Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (Zesco Limited) to suspend electricity exports and renegotiate contracts with neighboring countries in order to prioritize Zambia’s domestic energy needs.

Speaking during the party’s official launch in Lusaka, DPP president Antonio Mourinho Mwanza condemned the government for failing to address worsening power shortages that have left many households and businesses with only three hours of electricity per day.

“There is no economy in the world that can operate with only three hours of power in a day. This load shedding has destroyed businesses, it has taken away lives, it has made people lose their jobs,” Mr. Mwanza said.

He argued that it was unjust for Zambia to continue supplying power to countries such as Botswana and Tanzania while its own citizens struggle in darkness. The DPP leader accused the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) of neglecting its campaign promises to expand energy investment and ensure security of supply.

While the government has attributed the crisis to drought, Mwanza dismissed this explanation, blaming instead what he described as poor leadership and mismanagement. He pointed to earlier warnings from the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) in 2022 and 2023 about potential drought impacts, saying Zesco should have acted to preserve water levels at Kariba Dam rather than maximize power exports.

“As we are speaking right now in the darkness, there is power in Botswana and Tanzania supplied by Zambia. We are feeding our neighbors while crippling and damaging our own economy,” he charged.

Positioning energy security as a cornerstone of its policy agenda, the DPP has pledged to push for reforms that will ensure reliable electricity supply, which it says is critical for Zambia’s economic recovery and job creation.