Government has signed a K4.3 billion contract for the implementation of the Presidential Constituency Energy Initiative, which will see two-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plants constructed in all 156 constituencies across the country.
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Nicholas Phiri said that once fully implemented, the plants will have a combined output of 312 megawatts, to be evacuated into ZESCO’s grid facilities at a fee. Five EPC contractors were awarded the work, including joint ventures involving China Railway Construction Engineering Group, China Civil Engineering Construction Company, Huawei Technologies Zambia, and Qingdao Haier Photovoltaic New Energy, among others.
Phiri said the initiative, approved in November 2025, is expected to create roughly 100 jobs per constituency — around 15,600 jobs nationally — and forms part of President Hakainde Hichilema’s broader plan to raise Zambia’s electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts by 2030. In areas with multiple constituencies, such as Lusaka’s seven, plants will be aggregated into a single larger facility to cut costs and maximise efficiency; Lusaka’s allocation, for instance, will be consolidated into a 14MW plant.
Speaking on behalf of the contractors, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Southern Africa Managing Director Jacques Liao pledged to prioritise local employment, skills transfer and procurement from Zambian businesses during implementation. Lusaka Town Clerk Oliver Muuka, representing local authorities, described the initiative as a major step toward sustainable development, noting it would also give councils a dependable new revenue stream. The project is expected to run for 12 months from the date contractors mobilise on site, and builds on the Electricity (Open Access) Regulations of July 2024, which opened the sector to greater private participation.
Sources: Lusaka Times — Government rolls out K4.3bn solar project | News Diggers — Govt signs K4.3bn contract for 2MW constituency solar plants
