Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. DRC

Hydro-power deal

    JOHANNESBURG

    Zimbabwe signed an agreement on Wednesday to import more electricity from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the official ZIANA news agency reported. The DRC is rich in hydro-electric power while its largest military ally, Zimbabwe suffers a deficit of between 800 and 1,000 megawatts, news reports said. Zimbabwe’s Energy and Mines Minister Sydney Sekeramayi said the two countries’ power utility firms, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) and SNEL in the DRC, would upgrade the pylons that carry the electricity from the DRC to Zimbabwe.

    The deal would ensure the security of power supplies and provision of energy to Zimbabwe at sustainable prices, according to ZIANA. Zimbabwe supplements its electricity requirements with imports from South Africa, Mozambique and the DRC, but these have been affected by a crippling foreign currency shortage. In July, state radio reported that President Robert Mugabe and former DRC president Laurent-Desire Kabila had agreed that Zimbabwe would pay for its power imports in Zimbabwe dollars rather than US currency.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join