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Zambian authorities show concern over market abuses in energy sector. Here’s why

Published

3 months ago

March 20, 2023

Zambian authorities are concerned about market abuses and social injustices in the energy sector, specifically regarding renewable energy technologies.

The permanent secretary of the country’s Commerce, Trade, and Industry, John Mulongoti, made the position at the commemoration of World Consumer Rights Day where he revealed that the concern was born out of outcry by consumers over the low quality as well as high prices of energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies in the market.

According to Mulongoti “the energy sector is prone to market abuses and social injustices as evidenced by consumers’ concerns over the low quality as well as high prices of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies on the market.

“It is, therefore, my expectation that this event will not only provide an opportunity for increasing consumer awareness of their basic rights but also create a platform for consumers to air their concerns on market abuses and social injustices that they face as they access services from not only the energy sector but also other sectors as well,” Mulongoti said.

“You will agree with me that Zambia has not been spared from experiencing the adverse impact of climate change. We, therefore, need to hold hands together to mitigate this challenge.

“As we continue to enhance trade and investment for the growth of our economy, the government is cognizant of the need to ensure that economic growth happens in a sustainable manner,” Mulongoti said.

Mulongoti said the government will work to create resilient, climate-friendly economies in addition to advocating that both businesses and consumers embrace technologies and solutions that can help mitigate climate change.

The administration of President Hakainde Hichilema has made moves to focus on renewable energy, in January, state-owned power utility Zesco signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates renewable energy company Masdar to develop solar projects worth $2 billion.

Zambia, like many other African countries, faces a myriad of environmental and socio-economic
challenges that include land degradation, deforestation, and regular droughts which shift to renewable energy strategy.

Related Topics:Energy Sector Featured Zambia

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Court stops Facebook’s dismissal of content moderators in Kenya

Published

8 hours ago

June 4, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

The mass retrenchment by a subcontractor for Facebook’s parent company, Meta has been stopped by a court in Kenya.

The court obliged the prayer of 184 content moderators employed in Nairobi by Sama, an outsourcing firm for Meta, who claimed their dismissal was “unlawful”.

Judge Byram Ongaya said Meta and Sama were “restrained from terminating the contracts” pending the determination of the lawsuit challenging the legality of the dismissal.

“An interim order is hereby issued that any contracts that were to lapse before the determination of the petition be extended” until the case is settled, the judge added.

The court also ordered to “provide proper medical, psychiatric and psychological care for the petitioners and other Facebook content moderators”.

Mercy Mutemi, the petitioners’ lawyer, while commending the ruling, said it was “critical that the court found Facebook to be the true employer of its moderators,” adding that they were “very pleased” with the orders.

“This ruling is significant not only for the petitioners but for the entire social media and artificial intelligence industry,” Mutemi said in a statement.

Another local NGO and two Ethiopian citizens have also accused the tech giant of failing to act against online hate speech in Africa. The complainants claimed that this inaction resulted in the murder of an Ethiopian university professor and demanded the establishment of a $1.6 billion fund to compensate the victims.

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South Africa: Power rotation suspended ‘until further notice’ —Eskom

Published

1 day ago

June 3, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

South Africa’s state utility firm, Eskom has announced that its power rotation has been suspended “until further notice”.

The situation with the country’s electricity has been critical in recent months and load shedding exercises have gone as high as twelve hours a day.

Eskom spokeswoman, Daphne Mokwena told journalists “Load shedding was suspended today at 11:40 am (09:40 GMT) and until further notice, thanks to improved generation capacity and lower demand.”

“It is not possible to predict at this stage how long the suspension will last. We encourage the public to monitor their consumption, especially during peak hours,” stressed Ms. Mokwena, adding that load shedding could otherwise resume “at any time”.

The firm said it would immediately communicate any significant changes in the new development which South Africans would be hoping lasts long.

President Cyril Ramaphosa in February declared the situation a disaster and appointed a Minister of Electricity, in an attempt to get out of the crisis.

South Africa still draws 80% of its electricity from coal. A $98 billion investment plan was approved by rich countries last year at COP27 as part of an agreement for a “just transition” to clean energy.

Being one of Africa’s most industrialized economies, the power outages have threatened businesses and the general economy of the country. One of its leading companies, Tiger Brands had during the week revealed that its revenues were expected to drop due to the prolonged power challenges.