- Only a small majority (55%) of citizens live in enumeration areas served by the national power grid (Figure 1).
- More than eight in 10 Zambians (83%) say the government is doing a poor job of providing a reliable electricity supply, twice as many as in the last Afrobarometer survey in 2022 (Figure 2). o More than six in 10 (63%) say it is performing “very badly.”
- Fewer than half (48%) of Zambians say they would be willing to pay more for electricity in exchange for better services, while almost a similar proportion (42%) disagree (Figure 3).
- Almost three-fourths (73%) “disagree” or “strongly disagree” that ZESCO must be privatised in order to ensure effectiveness in the supply of electricity (Figure 4).
- But about eight in 10 citizens (78%) say the government should allow other actors to generate and distribute electricity (Figure 5).
Most Zambians say the government is performing poorly in providing a reliable supply of electricity, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.
The share of respondents who disapprove has doubled since 2022: More than four-fifths now say the government is doing “badly” or “very badly” in supplying electricity.
In the midst of an electricity crisis, with daily “load shedding” that is crippling an already ailing economy, citizens are divided over the idea of paying more for electricity in exchange for better services.
Nearly three-fourths of Zambians disagree with the idea of privatising ZESCO. But more than three-fourths believe that the government monopoly on electricity provision should be ended to allow other actors to generate and distribute power.
More than four in 10 citizens still live in areas that are not served by the national power grid.