In a significant move to strengthen bilateral energy cooperation, Zambia’s Minister of Energy, Mr. Makozo Chikote, held a high-level meeting last week with Mr. Erkin Tuniyaz, Chairman of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, at the Ministry Headquarters in Lusaka.
Chairman Tuniyaz is currently leading a delegation comprising energy sector engineers and investors from China. The visit follows President Hakainde Hichilema’s recent State Visit to China, during which energy collaboration featured prominently in bilateral talks.
During the meeting, Minister Chikote urged the Chinese delegation to explore investment opportunities in Zambia’s energy sector, particularly in renewable energy areas such as solar and wind. He emphasized that Zambia is grappling with electricity load-shedding, which is adversely affecting the mining and agriculture sectors, as well as small enterprises led by young entrepreneurs.
“The Government of Zambia is committed to fast-tracking energy investments and finding practical solutions to our electricity challenges,” Mr. Chikote said. “We are creating an enabling environment through policy and regulatory reforms to attract greater private sector participation.”
“China is ready to come in and support Zambia,” said Chairman Tuniyaz. He extended an invitation to Zambia’s Ministry of Energy to dispatch technical experts to China to explore targeted areas for investment cooperation—especially in renewable energy, a sector in which China holds significant global expertise.
As Zambia and China mark 60 years of diplomatic relations, both parties reiterated their commitment to deepening collaboration in strategic sectors such as energy, with the aim of advancing sustainable development and mutual prosperity.
