Minister of National Development Planning Alexander Chiteme has asked the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) to assist Zambia expand investment in renewable energy.
Mr. Chiteme was speaking when he held a meeting with the Head of CIFs Mafalda Duarte on the sidelines of the CIF 10th Anniversary meeting taking place at the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN)’s Noor Complex Solar Power Plant – the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant– in Ouarzazate, Morocco.
Noor generates about 580 megawatts of power that is fed into the national grid and supplies to at least 2 million people.
Mr. Chiteme says renewable energy is very important to Zambia’s development and stated that CIFs’ outstanding works in promotion of initiatives are aimed at combating climate change and expansion of renewable energy.
Through the Forest Investment Programme (FIP), Zambia has developed an investment plan to reduce deforestation and forest degradation.
“However, we still need more financial support towards actualizing the Investment Plan,” said Mr. Chiteme.
He said this is important for Zambia to actualize the objectives of the Seventh National Development Plan and the Vision 2030 to ensure access to clean and reliable energy for all.
The Minister added that through the support of CIF, the PPCR had utilized the resources to strengthen the operations in key Government institutions such as the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, which is responsible for national climate Information and risk reduction management.
The PPCR had also launched the nationwide awareness campaign dubbed #Think2044 and established a Toll-Free Call Centre to empower people with information about climate change.
Mr. Chiteme said Zambia had developed mainstreaming guidelines that laid the foundation of climate change mainstreaming in Development Plans.
He said the government will revise the current design standards and codes for infrastructure to ensure that climate smart infrastructure was developed in line with attaining the objectives of a resilient development path way for Zambia.
“We reiterate the need for continuity if the gains, lessons, systems created by the CIFs are to provide a platform or foundation for future climate finance. The time is now to put up a collective position on the future role of the CIF in the climate finance architecture,” said Mr. Chiteme.
On her part, Ms. Duarte assured Mr. Chiteme that CIFs will continue to support Zambia’s development agenda, especially addressing the impact of climate change.
CIFs, a multi-donor propelled initiative, is supporting the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) in Zambia, under the Ministry of National Development Planning, which has community projects including women-led organisations that empower the vulnerable people and households in Western, Central, Lusaka and Southern provinces.
This is according to a press statement made available to ZANIS by Ministry of National Development Planning Chibaula Silwamba in Lusaka yesterday
