Mumbwa Solar Project Puts 650 People to Work

The vast solar power plant taking shape in Mumbwa is doing more than preparing to light up Zambia. It is already putting food on hundreds of tables, having created jobs for 650 people.

The 350-megawatt project, being built in phases in Central Province, has employed hundreds of local workers, with many more set to benefit as businesses supply goods and services around the site.

Speaking during a tour of the Mumbwa Sunshare Limited site, ZESCO chief operating officer Fitzpatrick Kapepe said its impact reaches far beyond those in helmets and overalls on the construction floor.

"Currently there are 650 employees on site. You can just imagine the indirect jobs that are connected to these direct jobs," he said. He explained that each worker supports several family members, meaning the benefits ripple throughout the wider community.

Kapepe said the US$305 million project is being developed in stages, with the first 100 megawatts due to be commissioned before the end of July. He revealed that ZESCO has lined up a further 100-megawatt solar project in the same area, eventually raising generation capacity to 450 megawatts.

Mumbwa was chosen, he added, because it enjoys high levels of sunshine year-round and sits close to an electricity substation, making it cheaper and easier to transmit power to Lusaka and beyond.

Meanwhile, Sunshare project assistant manager William Mutawa confirmed that construction works are now around 90 percent complete.