The Rural Electrification Authority (REA), Ministry of Green Economy & Environment and Ministry of Energy have signed a tripartite Implementation Agreement under the African Development Bank (AfBD) technical assistance project.

The African Development Bank facilitated a Green Climate Fund (GCF) grant amounting to US $2.5 million which was allocated to the Ministry of Energy (MoE) and REA as part of the technical assistance under the Zambia Renewable Energy Framework (ZREFF) Project. This technical assistance will assist the MoE and REA to create an enabling environment, accelerate investment in renewable energy mini-grid and off-grid space, and assist in increasing rural electrification in Zambia.

At the signing ceremony, which was held at the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, REA Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Linus Chanda, highlighted the Authority’s commitments to providing innovative and sustainable practices of increasing access to electricity and improving the quality of living standards for the rural population in Zambia. He said the grant comes at an important time when the government of the republic of Zambia was working on reducing barriers to investments in the energy sector, such as the cost of undertaking feasibility studies indeed the cost of investments in renewable energy systems by the private sector.

And speaking at the same event, Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, Mr. John Msumiko elaborated on how the ministry is fully engaged in making sure that full operationalization of the Zambia Renewable Energy Financing Framework which is worth US$4 Million is done.

Also in attendance was the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Energy, Francesca Zyambo. Ms. Zyambo said that the technical assistance project had come at an opportune time given that the Ministry of Energy is working towards creation of an enabling environment to promote private sector investments and complement government efforts. Some of the efforts already underway are development of the mini-grid regulatory framework which will provide guidance on licensing, tariff setting and technical standards.