Page 54 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 17

Innovate Afrika

As president, Edgar Lungu, hit back Along with the spreading of an-
at critics and said: ti-China propaganda, xenophobic
“I implore you to ignore the mis- attacks on Chinese nationals are also
leading headlines that seek to malign on the increase. It would appear
our relationship with China by mis- that the resentment felt by a few is
characterising our economic cooper- being fuelled by the same anti-China
ation to mean colonialism.” critics. In other words the xenopho-
The Finance Minister, Margaret bia is opposition run as is evident
Mwanakatwe, put the record straight in an article from Xinhuanet which
and told critics that of the total reported a demonstration held by
interest paid to creditors in the Zambian miners in Kitwe City, Cop-
first half of 2018 only 30% was to perbelt Province to protest against
China. opposition politicians who have learning about nuclear technology,
Leading Zambian economist and been inciting xenophobic attacks on including its multiple uses, medical
head of Zambia’s Private Sector Chinese investors. and agricultural, apart from energy
Development Association Yosuf production. The journalist have
Dodia said that Chinese investment The Road to Zambian Transfor- since tackled the many misconcep-
should be seen as an opportunity mation: tions held by the public on nuclear
not a burden. technology.
Energy Sector Developments
“Zambia has been dominated by Dr Roland Msiska, said:
the West for 100 years… and we are Zambia, like all sub-Saharan African “Nuclear is the technology of
seeing poverty all over the conti- countries, has an acute energy short- Zambia’s future”…”One nice thing
nent,” he said. age.Only 25% of its urban popula- about nuclear programme, because
On Zambia`s relationship to China tion and 3% of its rural population of the length in which you have to
he said “The partnership level is have access to electricity. plan, about 200 years, you’ll have to
around $10bn – and that is good. Currently 90% of Zambia`s electric- think inter-generationally because
There is no other country that of- ity is from hydro-power. Between that’s four generations. That’s 20
fers those kinds of opportunities.” 2015-2016 Zambia lost power presidents, if you are talking about
capacity and the economy dropped each president [serving for] 10 years.
That is the general consensus of Af- by 40%.This was a result of pro- You have to plan inter-generational-
rican governments who defend the longed regional drought which made ly and implement inter-generation-
Chinese model. Compared to other existing hydropower ineffective. ally.”
creditors ( like the IMF) Chinese Nuclear energy would be a far more
banks offer far better terms. The in- reliable source of power generation As key to initiating the nuclear
terest is, in some cases, non-existent in African countries such as Zam- program, government started the
or else at very low rates of interest. bia that are prone to drought when Centre for Nuclear Science and
There are lengthy periods of grace under the adverse effects of the El Technology which is a vehicle for
before payments commence and Niño weather system. training personnel who will operate
much longer re-payment periods. the plant and will advance Zambia
And unlike Western banks, the Recent years have seen great interest in science and technology.
Chinese banks are lending, extend- in pushing forward Zambia`s nucle- The design, feasibility study and
ing credit for the express purposes ar program. Under the presidency approvals for the project have been
of uplifting the standard of living of Edgar Lungu steps were taken to concluded but as of March 2020,
of African nations by funding hard fast track a nuclear power program. finances are still being arranged
infrastructure. between Zambia and Russia.
In April 2019, Dr Roland Msiska,
In 2018, at the historic Forum for Head of Zambia`s Atomic Agency There are 2 phases of construction,
China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) (ZAMATOMA), led a delegation of the first being the construction of
in Beijing, Zambia secured a $30 officials and journalists to the annual a Center for Nuclear Science and
million interest-free loan and a $30 ATOMEXPO which is held in So- Technology and the second phase
million grant . chi, Russia, and run by ROSATOM. will be construction of a nuclear
The journalists were tasked with power plant of 2,400 megawatts

54 | we tell the true afrikan story