Zesa in negotiation with Afrexim Bank for the clearance of the $ 70 million owed to its suppliers

(Agence Ecofin) - In Zimbabwe, the electric company Zesa Holdings is in talks with the African Export-Import Banks (Afrexim) for the settlement of its debts vis-à-vis its suppliers ™ Ã © energy. It owes $ 70 million to its South African counterpart Eskom and to the Mozambicans EDM and Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa.

"We are about to finalize the financial arrangement. We have gone to great lengths to settle our debts with our regional suppliers, but we still owe them about $ 70 million - said Patrick Chivaura, the executive director of Zesa.

Last August, Zimbabwe paid $ 4 million to Eskom, which enabled it to obtain 400 MW from South Africa. It imports 50 MW from Mozambique and is negotiating to increase this quantity to 150, even 400 MW.

Zimbabwe has been experiencing an increasing energy deficit for almost 8 months due to the drop in water levels in the Kariba dam. This has been compounded by the poor condition of the country's thermal power plants, which regularly break down.

Gwladys Johnson Akinocho

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