Zim-Zam 2025 Energy Summit Opens in Livingstone, Signalling Major Opportunities for Regional Power Investment.
The Zimbabwe – Zambia Energy Projects Summit (ZimZam 2025) officially opened, Wednesday, November,26, 2025 at the Radisson Blu Mosi-Oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort, bringing together regional governments, energy regulators, investors, utilities, and development partners for three days of high-level dialogue aimed at strengthening regional energy cooperation and accelerating private-sector participation in Southern Africa’s energy transition.
The summit, one of the region’s to largest annual energy investment gatherings, is being held under the theme “Mines and Energy: How Stakeholders Have Fast-Tracked Private Sector Projects to Become Africa’s Top Investment Destination.”With support from the African Union (AU), SADC, Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), Petrodex, ZESCO, and Standard Bank, the opening set a strong foundation for new investments, project partnerships, and cross-border power initiatives.
Welcoming delegates, Livingstone Mayor Constance Muleabai said the hosting of ZimZam 2025 affirmed Livingstone’s growing role as a regional hub for conferences and energy dialogue. She encouraged participants to explore the city’s tourism assets, describing Livingstone as “a gateway for regional collaboration and a bridge between Zambia, Zimbabwe and the wider SADC energy market.”
Speaking on behalf of Zambia’s Minister of Energy Hon. Makozo Chikote, Hon. Credo Nanjuwa, Southern Province Minister, emphasised the urgency of delivering real progress in the region’s power sector.
“This summit must never become a talk show. Our citizens, our industries and our economies need results, not empty promises,” Nanjuwa said. “Let us use this platform to unlock deals, secure financing, and build the energy systems that will power Zambia and Zimbabwe our mining sectors, industries, homes and our future.”
Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development, Hon. Yeukai Simbanegavi, highlighted the importance of cross-border partnerships in addressing the region’s energy deficit.
“Energy challenges have reminded us that we have veins which knit us together beyond our border lines,” she said. “As Zimbabwe advances NDS2, increased private-sector investment will be supported by reforms that simplify project development and promote ease of doing business.”
Industry leaders also set the tone for deeper collaboration. Petrodex Deputy CEO Monie Captan noted that regional power trading would be “the next major catalyst for economic growth,” while Helen Lubamba, Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at Stanbic Bank Zambia, underscored the need for flexible financing models to unlock both public and private capital.
The African Union Commission opened its High-Level Consultation on the Grand Inga Strategic Coordination Committee advancing progress toward Africa’s 44-GW Grand Inga Hydropower Project. Meanwhile, SADC and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) convened discussions on the Draft SADC Just Energy Transition Framework, targeting universal access to clean and reliable energy by 2050.
ZESCO Managing Director Justin Loongo updated delegates on Zambia’s regulatory reforms, noting that open access and predictable tariffs had improved investor confidence and enabled expansion in generation and transmission projects.
With strong engagement from regional bodies, investors, and utilities, the opening of ZimZam 2025 set the stage for what is expected to be a high-impact summit focused on renewables, financing mechanisms, regional interconnections, and accelerating project bankability across the two nations.