Zambia’s Itezhi-Tezhi Hydropower Dam has increased the country’s power generation capacity by 7.5%, resulting in 50,000 more residents having access to electricity.
According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), the 120-megawatt plant became operational in 2016 and cost $375 million. The plant is the first public-private partnership project in the Zambian energy sector and initially provided electricity to 17 million people.
The AfDB contributed $55 million to the plant, which is part of the bank’s Light Up and Power Africa initiative. Additional funding for the plant was received from international donors including the Netherlands Development Finance Company, the Development Bank of South Africa and Proparco France.
The AfDB’s portfolio in Zambia currently includes 23 ongoing projects in transport, water and sanitation and agriculture, amounting to an investment of $1 billion.