Zambia: Bio-Refinery Welcome Development
Posted on :Saturday , 26th December 2015
The construction of Zambia's first bio-refinery to cater for 20 per cent of the country's petroleum requirements has come at the right time when the country is in dire need of cheaper energy to propel its economy.
We have, therefore, every reason to appreciate the development because of the multiplier effect that is associated with the project.
The development is welcome because Zambia has been grappling with limited sources of fuel for a long time.
In this respect, the project is obviously the answer to the challenges the country has been going through as far as dependence on limited sources of energy is concerned.
We are, further, elated with this development as it will provide an alternative and cheaper source of fuel that will stimulate growth of the country's economy.
Employment opportunities expected to be created from the bio-refinery will further increase the amount of disposable income for the households and even equip families with extra commodity-buying power.
Creating a market for more than 20,000 cassava farmers will also create wealth and reduce poverty among the farming community and other people.
The revelation that more than 500 direct jobs will be created at the plant is worth-noting because it is significant and would contribute to the growth of both the community and the country's economy.
With this new project, we would like to echo President Edgar Lungu's recent call to the Ministry of Agriculture to work with Sunbird to design an out-grower programme aimed at maximising the participation of as many rural farmers as possible.
The President said the project should enable the country substitute imported fuel with biofuel to save on the colossal outlay of foreign petroleum products.
It is anticipated that the project will open up the rural area and inspire growth in other sectors such as transport, thus creating more jobs and wealth for the local people and the country as a whole.
It is thus clear that the project will not only contribute to boosting fuel production but also other activities around the plant which will foster overall national development.
As could be expected, there will obviously be an increase in production, as well as output in many sectors such as agriculture and transport.
Furthermore, having cheaper fuel will trigger, and reduce the cost of doing, business countrywide.
This way the project will ease and expedite the diversification process in many sectors of the economy.
For these reasons, the development confirms how serious the Government is about diversifying the country's sources of energy as well as implementing the Private Public Partnership Policy.
Like many other areas that are currently on-going, the bio-refinery project fits in well with President Lungu's call for more private sector involvement in Zambia's development agenda.
This is because no government in the world, no matter how big and effective, has ever developed a country without the participation of the private sector.
It is good to hear that even Mr Lungu is sure that Sunbird and its partners China New Energy and China State Construction will do a good job owing to their track record of executing more than 100 similar projects across Asia.
We, therefore, urge the Government to facilitate for the roll-out of similar projects to other parts of the country where cassava is grown on a larger scale.
Doing so will enable Zambia to become self-sufficient in fuel and reduce on the commodity's import of the commodity.
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