Zambia finalizes plans to import fuel from Angola

Government says plans for Zambia to start importing fuel from Angola are underway, with discussions between the two countries reaching an advanced stage.

Ministry of Energy Director Petroleum, Rodney Kalota, said this at an Economic Dialogue Forum on the Fuel Price Model in the country, organised by the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI).

During the forum on Wednesday in Lusaka, Kalota revealed that there was active engagement between the two governments to ensure that Zambia started importing fuel from Angola.

He was responding to questions from participants asking if there were any plans for Zambia to start importing the commodity from Angola as it was closer to the country, lowering the prices.

“I can confirm there are active engagements between the governments of Zambia and Angola. Just last month, the Minister of Energy was in Angola to peruse and further those discussions.

“I can indeed confirm that engagements are there and we hope that sooner than rather we will be able to lead something that may be of benefit to the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kalota said government was committed to having wide consultations with stakeholders in the energy sector on the various challenges being experienced.

He said there were a lot of consultations going on in the petroleum sector. “So, before we firm up, we want to make sure that the decision we arrive at will be fair to all the players.

Suffice to say, the industry is large. The consultation we do is what helps us to drive convergence and be able to keep everyone sustained.

“Yes, there are many complaints from the industry that we are strangling them but when you see the service stations opening up, the perception it gives you is totally different, but we still want to build convenience.

“It is a very hard sector to work in but it calls for calmness, consultation and making sure that we still work together and reach an agreement,” Kalota said.

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