Bulawayo, (New Ziana) –Local businesspeople have been called upon to tap into the lucrative opportunities in the power production sector and benefit from the high returns on investment in the sector.
Energy and Power Development Minister July Moyo said this at the inaugural National Competitive Commission (NCC) Competitiveness Summit 2025 on Wednesday.
He underscored the critical role of private sector investment in driving the energy transformation and addressing persistent power challenges that the country is grappling with.
The Summit is being held under the theme “Enhancing Zimbabwe’s Global Competitiveness” and aims to tackle competitiveness and industrial growth.
Moyo highlighted the untapped potential in the energy sector and the need for innovative reforms to drive growth.
“There is business in energy. There is a lot of business in energy for those who have access to resources,” he said.
“We have many initiatives, but they must come at a competitive rate. We have built too many conurbations (extended urban areas, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of a central city) that have become dark cities.
“For instance, here in Bulawayo, in Upper and Lower Rangemore, entrepreneurs are building over 4 000 housing units and businesses. While they are ensuring water and sewer reticulation, they are not addressing power reticulation, as they believe it remains Zesa’s responsibility,” he added.
He said there was need for regulatory reforms to enable land developers to take charge of power distribution in the areas that they would have developed.
“Part of what we need to reform is to allow the entrepreneur who builds 4 000 housing units to have a substation. That substation should be connected to either an 11kV or 33kV power line.
“The rest of the power distribution in that area should be their business, just as they manage water and sewerage,” he explained.
Moyo outlined a vision for a more decentralised and entrepreneurial energy sector like in other countries, whether it is a business, a shopping mall or housing units where power supply is the responsibility of the developer.
“The government provides bulk supply, and the developer handles reticulation, retailing, and maintenance. This approach turns developers into power suppliers, and that’s where we should be heading,” he said.
He also urged residents and businesses with solar installations to participate in the ZESA net metering project, which allows excess power to be fed into the grid during the day.
“We now say to ZESA, make sure that everybody, big or small, can net meter. Right now, 75 Megawatts are coming from net metering, but we believe there is much more potential. Many people here have solar but are not net metering yet. There is a lot of room for growth in this area,” he said.
Moyo told delegates that ZESA last received comprehensive funding for equipment upgrades in 1993, leading to significant deterioration in the power utility’s infrastructure.
“Over the years, especially with the impact of sanctions, the degeneration in transmission, distribution, and retail has become dangerous. We need substantial capital to address this,” he said.
He assured stakeholders that the government is working with the Ministry of Finance and the Mutapa Investment Fund to mobilise resources for the revitalization of the sector.
New Ziana
