German minister extols Zambia’s potential to be regional producer of solar energy

Zambia has the possibility to be the regional producer of solar energy. The government of Germany has summoned for increased investment in solar energy in the South African country’s rural areas if several marginalized lives are to be metamorphosed.

The provision of electricity to rural areas is absolutely inevitable and this will help to increase agriculture production. According to Gerd Mueller, Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development in Germany, the availability of electricity in rural areas will enhance health care and education services as most life-saving medical equipment such as vaccine refrigerators will be used effectively, as reported by Lusaka Times.

Gerd Mueller opined that Zambia has a comparative advantage of emerging as a reliable solar energy producer in the region and overall Africa as the continent receives enough sunlight round the year. Hence, what Mueller said that the government of Zambia must take advantage of the prevailing favourable climatic conditions and transform the lives of people in rural areas through sustainable investment in solar energy.

He said in an interview after touring the one Mega Watt Riverside Solar Power plant in Kitwe that he will lobby for investors from his country to come and invest in the energy sector adding that the area of focus would be the rural communities. More than a million village households are likely to be connected to solar energy that will reduce the dependence of rural communities on firewood as a source of energy.