CITIZENS First president Harry Kalaba has declared that Zambia’s prolonged hours of power cuts will end immediately if his party forms government next year, insisting that the current crisis is a result of policy choices rather than lack of capacity.
Kalaba said it makes no sense for the country to continue exporting electricity to neighboring states while citizens endure up to 21 hours of load-shedding daily.
He argued that Zambia should prioritise its own energy needs before honouring regional power sharing commitments.
Speaking when he appeared on Emmanuel Mwamba Podcast, he stated that his administration would suspend power exports to Namibia and South Africa under the SADC power pool arrangement until domestic supply is stabilised.
“We will make sure that when we come into government, we begin to industrialise this country. There is no way we can be exporting power to outsiders and we ourselves remain without power,” he said.
“Government cannot expect economic progress when citizens and industries only have a few hours of productivity each day.”
Kalaba also pledged to fast track the completion of the Chinukula power plant, saying the facility has the potential to significantly boost national generation capacity.
With increased output, he said, the country would not only meet its own demand but eventually have surplus power to export on its own terms.
According to Citizens First leader, Zambia will only resume electricity exports once the local market is fully supplied.
“When we finish that chinukula power plant facility, we will have enough energy in this country, enough to export to DRC and they can come and thank us all they want. Ws will only start exporting power when the market is saturated with enough energy.”
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba November 16, 2025
