Blackouts and Bureaucracy, The Energy Elephant in the Room

By Shingirai Vambe

The 11th edition of the CEO Africa Roundtable Conference commenced with great anticipation and a strong turnout, drawing more than 250 delegates from across the continent. The conference, a premier platform for engagement between the private sector and policymakers, aims to dissect and address the pressing structural challenges affecting the ease of doing business, economic productivity, and national growth strategies in Zimbabwe and the broader Southern African region.

Held against the backdrop of intensifying power shortages and policy uncertainty, the atmosphere on Day One was both charged and contemplative. As delegates took their seats in the conference hall, it became immediately clear that the opening topic, Energy Sufficiency in Zimbabwe and the Region, would ignite more than just intellectual curiosity.

The energy crisis, particularly Zimbabwe’s protracted power outages and the crippling effects on industrial output, dominated the discussions. The central debate revolved around whether Zimbabwe and its regional counterparts should accelerate the transition to green and renewable energy sources, or whether such a pivot, under the current circumstances, was premature and possibly detrimental to national development goals.

The room was visibly split. While some delegates advocated for embracing renewable energy to align with global environmental standards and mitigate climate change, others warned against the abandonment of traditional energy sources, particularly coal, which continues to underpin power generation in many Southern African countries.

The session was chaired by Oswell Binha, Chairman of the CEO Africa Roundtable, who welcomed delegates and acknowledged the importance of the dialogue. However, a notable absence hung over the event, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who had been expected to officially open the conference, was unable to attend due to concurrent commitments at the ZANU PF national conference in Mutare.

Instead, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mthuli Ncube, read the President’s opening remarks via a virtual address. Similarly, key ministries were represented by proxies. The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mangaliso Ndlovu, was represented by Dr. Douglas Runyowa, while Dr. Sosten Ziuku stood in for the Minister of Energy and Power Development, July Moyo.

A significant portion of the debate focused on ZESA Holdings, the state-owned power utility, and its perceived inefficiencies. Delegates expressed frustration at the proliferation of subsidiary companies, such as Powertel, which many believe divert resources away from core power generation operations. This, critics argued, has forced Zimbabwe into an untenable position, importing power at high cost while failing to adequately invest in domestic generation capacity.

Independent Power Producers (IPPs) voiced concerns about the lack of political will and the bureaucratic hurdles that delay the issuance of licenses and disbursement of incentives. Despite the recognized potential of hydro, solar, and even nuclear energy in Zimbabwe, IPPs claimed they are met with resistance or apathy from the state, leaving the sector starved of innovation and private capital.

In response, Abel Gurupira, representing ZESA Holdings, defended the parastatal’s performance, insisting that “the country is trying as much as it can.” He emphasized the utility’s efforts to support IPPs and highlighted the government’s net metering program, which allows individuals and businesses to feed excess power into the national grid.

However, Gurupira’s remarks did little to calm the room. IPPs and private sector delegates countered that there are no real incentives or guarantees for investors, leading to low confidence and minimal participation in the sector.

In a moment that shifted the discussion into broader strategic territory, Chairman Binha posed a critical question, “Why has Zimbabwe failed to dedicate just one of its many minerals solely to energy production, rather than merely collecting royalties?”

The query sparked fresh debate around resource governance. Delegates argued that mineral wealth, particularly lithium, gold, diamond, and rare earth elements, could be leveraged to fund large-scale energy projects. The sentiment in the room was that while Zimbabwe is rich in resources, it is poor in value-addition strategies and long-term planning.

As the debate returned to the theme of renewable energy, Gurupira delivered a powerful critique of the global climate agenda, asking, “Whose song are we singing?” He questioned why African nations, responsible for just 3% of global carbon emissions, are being pressured to abandon coal, a reliable energy source that has underpinned economic development in both Zimbabwe and neighboring countries.

Dr. Ziuku echoed these sentiments, highlighting that following the commissioning of Hwange Units 7 and 8, Zimbabwe had increased its energy generation capacity to 1,800 megawatts. However, with current demand hovering around 3,000 megawatts, and projections suggesting the need for 5,000 megawatts by 2030 to support middle-income status, the gap remains alarming.

Despite efforts to ramp up production, it is clear that the current trajectory is unsustainable without drastic policy reforms, strategic investments, and perhaps a reconsideration of the energy mix.

Bringing a sobering close to the day’s discussions, former Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, who was present among the delegates, reframed the debate entirely. “What we are facing is not just an energy crisis, it is a crisis of poverty, of governance, of missed opportunities.” He argued that the real issue was not scarcity of resources but the failure to build capacity, manage wealth, and deliver development equitably.

“Are we also including the AI revolution in our plans,” he asked.

He argued, one AI plant, requires a minimum of 2000 megawatt of electricity alone while we focus on generating 5000 in the next 5 years, where will we be with AI and technology by 2030,” queried Mutambara.

Mutambara’s remarks found resonance across the room, as delegates reflected on decades of missed opportunities, both politically and economically.

Also noted was the case of Zambia, Zimbabwe’s neighbor and partner in hydro power from the Kariba Dam. Zambia has managed to scale its power generation to over 3,000 megawatts, showing what focused investment and policy coherence can achieve.

In contrast, Zimbabwe continues to experience regular blackouts, which have become a severe impediment to industrial productivity, investor confidence, and the daily lives of ordinary citizens.

The first day of the CEO Africa Roundtable Conference proved both eye-opening and divisive. While the energy topic exposed deep rifts between policymakers and private sector players, it also underscored one undeniable fact, that Zimbabwe’s energy future is at a crossroads.

Whether the country chooses to go green, double down on coal, or adopt a hybrid approach, the status quo is untenable.

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