ZESA Enterprises Seeks USD24m Annually To Expand Power Access by 2030

ZESA Enterprises (Zent), the manufacturing arm of Zimbabwe’s power utility, says it requires at least USD24 million each year to meet the national target of universal electricity access and to support Zimbabwe’s drive toward upper-middle-income status by 2030.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Energy during a tour of the company’s facilities, acting managing director Godfrey Mugaviri said the investment is crucial to scale up the production of transformers.

“The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company needs about 6,000 transformers annually to connect all citizens to the national grid,” Mugaviri said. “To meet this target, we require an annual capital injection of around USD24 million.”

His remarks come at a time the country is grappling with power cuts, infrastructure vandalism, and an increase in cable theft, all of which have hindered reliable electricity supply.

Mugaviri noted that Zent also needs to overhaul its production equipment. “We’re using old machinery. To modernise and boost output, we need approximately USD17.4 million. The infrastructure is in place, but the equipment needs upgrading to allow us to feed more transformers into the economy,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the enterprise has managed to supply transformers to regional utilities, including Zesco in Zambia, and customers in Lesotho, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Committee chairperson Charlton Hwende praised Zent’s achievements but stressed the need for Parliament to address regulatory and investment gaps to help the entity meet national power goals.