Energy leaders from across Southern Africa have gathered in Lusaka as Zambia hosts the 66th Management Committee meetings of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).
The week-long meetings in Lusaka have drawn representatives from utilities and market participants from 12 member countries in Southern Africa.
Discussions at the forum are expected to focus on regional electricity trade, infrastructure development and power sector cooperation.
The meetings are being hosted by the national power utility, ZESCO Limited, which last hosted the gathering more than a decade ago.
Energy Minister Makozo Chikote is expected to officially open the regional meeting on Thursday 12 March 2026 at Mulungushi conference center.
SAPP Vice Chairperson, Lioko Sitali, who is also ZESCO Director for transmission and trade said in an interview in Lusaka that the gathering is an event that brings member utilities together to discuss how the region can better utilize shared electricity resources.
“ZESCO is the host utility for the SAPP management committee meetings for 2026, we have twelve member countries and all of them are attending these meetings where working groups sit together to come up with solutions on how generation resources can be utilized across the region,” said Engineer Sitali.
In a separate interview head of commercial trade at Kanona Power Company Limited, Nsofwa Sikanyika, hailed SAPP as a great initiative that enables utilities and market participants to collectively address challenges facing the regional power sector.
“SAPP management meetings are held annually for all participating utilities and operating members to deliberate on issues that affect the Southern African region when it comes to the power sector,” she said.
Ms. Sikanyika noted that many of the energy challenges faced by countries in the region are similar, including generation deficits and transmission constraints.
“When you look at the different countries that form part of the Southern African Power Pool, we find that the challenges are quite similar,” She said.
Ms. Sikanyika highlighted Zambia’s recent electricity deficit as an example of how the regional power pool helps countries support each other.
“When Zambia experienced a deficit in power generation that led to load management across the nation, other utilities within the Southern African Power Pool were quite key in supporting the country,” she noted.
Ms. Sikanyika observed that SAPP remains the most advanced electricity trading system on the continent, providing a model for regional energy cooperation in Africa.
Established in 1995, SAPP enables electricity utilities in member countries to trade surplus power across borders through interconnected transmission networks.
the media reports that the meetings in Lusaka have come at a time when several Southern African countries are grappling with electricity shortages driven by rising demand, drought-affected hydropower generation and infrastructure constraints.
According to industry players, SAPP has become an important platform for countries to cooperate and support one another during energy shortages.
The initiative is widely seen as a key mechanism for addressing Africa’s energy deficit while promoting regional economic integration.
