The future of Southern Africa’s energy sector is set to be shaped at the high-profile Zimbabwe-Zambia Energy Projects Summit (Zim-Zam 2025), where Mr. Edington Mazambani, the Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), will take a leading role. The summit, running from November 26 to 28, 2025, at the scenic Radisson Blu Mosi-Oa-Tunya Resort in Livingstone, Zambia, promises to be a pivotal platform for accelerating energy investment across the two nations.
Held under the theme, “Mines and Energy: How Stakeholders have Fast-Tracked Private Sector Projects to Become Africa’s Top Investment Destination,” Zim-Zam 2025 will gather senior representatives from government ministries, utilities, regulators, investors, and project developers. This gathering comes at a crucial time as both Zimbabwe and Zambia intensify efforts to overcome power deficits, modernise aging infrastructure, and meet growing industrial demand, particularly from the critical mining sector.
Mr. Mazambani’s participation underscores the vital link between regulatory stability and private sector capital. As the head of ZERA, the body mandated to regulate the entire energy sector in Zimbabwe—including the procurement, production, transmission, and distribution of energy—his insights will be key to understanding the regulatory environment. ZERA’s role is essential in licensing energy companies, setting fair tariffs, and actively promoting the development of renewable energy sources to ensure universal access to sustainable energy by 2030.
At the summit, Mr. Mazambani is scheduled to speak on Day Three, participating in discussions focused on “Meeting the Demands of Intensive Energy Users.” Given the dominance of the mining sector in both Zimbabwe and Zambia’s energy consumption, this session will explore how mining companies can utilise innovative approaches like Captive Power Plants and robust renewable energy systems to meet their energy needs and combat severe load shedding.
The core objective of Zim-Zam 2025 is to drive projects to financial close while mitigating risk. The summit provides a unique platform to advance renewable energy development, modernise grid infrastructure, and expand energy access across both countries. Discussions will cover critical hurdles such as transmission bottlenecks and off-taker risks, and explore innovative funding models and cross-border grid connections—like the proposed Zambia–Tanzania Interconnector and Zimbabwe’s Great Zimbabwe Hydro Project—that can unlock the region’s potential.
The collaborative spirit between Zambia and Zimbabwe has recently been reinforced by agreements to deepen cooperation in investment and trade, including the pursuit of the ZIZOP petroleum and natural gas pipeline project and efforts to increase electricity transmission capacity.
Zim-Zam 2025 is poised to be a transformative event for the regional energy landscape. As Mr. Mazambani noted, the summit “embodies our commitment to a sustainable future.” It is an opportunity for stakeholders to explore vast opportunities in renewables, modernise grids, and unite in a shared vision to power a sustainable energy future for the region. Interested parties are encouraged to join the conversation at #ZimZam25.