ABOUT 2,100 low income and vulnerable households in Luapula Province are earmarked to be connected to electricity, ZESCO Board Chairperson Chibwe Mwelwa has said. Mr Mwelwa said ZESCO had launched a technology known as ready boards containing switches, socket outlets and lighting arrestors all fitted in one box which will be installed in targeted households for easy access to electricity.
He said the beneficiaries would be drawn from all the districts in Luapula Province in line with the mission of ZESCO which seeks to make it easy for people to live a life. Mr. Mwelwa said the utility company was aware that most low income and vulnerable household were unable to afford the cost of electrical wiring for their premises hence the initiative.
He said despite having the Musonda falls power station in the Province, a number of areas were not connected to power hence ZESCO had seen it fit to ensure that electricity reached most of its customers through massive investment in distribution lines to electrify several areas and chiefdoms.
“In realizing our vision today, ZESCO limited has launched the installation of ready boards in Luapula Province to encourage more people to access electricity easily and in an affordable manner…All that is required is to mount on the wall and it is ready to use once the energy meter and service cables are powered,” Mr. Mwelwa said.
He noted that one of the major factors that inhibited access to electricity was the cost associated with wiring houses and that the thought of buying cables and other accessories was also daunting for most households. Mr Mwelwa said the action was in line with government’s 7th National Development Plan whose theme was accelerating Development efforts towards vision 2030 without leaving anyone behind. He said all the power infrastructure development in the province would be meaningless if the majority of people had not access in electricity in their premises despite their level of income or social status in society.
Mr. Mwelwa said from 2011, the Government had supported massive investments in the electricity infrastructure at generation, transmission and distribution levels, leading to many more households being connected to electricity.
He said Zambia in general and Luapula province in particular cannot attain the goal of vision 2030 which seeks to transform Zambia into a middle income country without increasing access to electricity.
