Zambia: Fuel shortage heats up

  1. Posted on Wednesday 18 November 2009 - 09:10
    Sanday
    Image of Sanday
    Sanday Chongo Kabange, AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia
    The Zambia Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI) has expressed its dissatisfaction with the Zambian government over the month-long acute fuel shortage.
    fuel crisis
    The President of Zambia Rupiah Banda is been criticized for globe trotting at the height of a countywide crisis. He has however defended his movements in and out of the country as purely business and work related.

    ZACCI Chairperson, Hanson Sindowe is dismayed that the Banda administration is not implementing suggestions brought forth to quell the fuel shortages.

    “ZACCI as an apex body and voice of business in Zambia is concerned with prevailing shortage of fuel in several parts of the country which has adversely affected trade and industry. The fuel shortage has gone unabated for several weeks now. We are concerned that the persistent fuel shortage has caused delay in delivery of goods and services, delay in procuring goods such as inputs and services and loss of manpower resources and productivity due to long queues for either petrol or diesel,” added Sindowe.

    For the past four weeks, Zambia has been engulfed in a severe fuel crisis that has crippled operations in major industries, including the mines, which contribute significantly to the country’s total annual export earnings.

    Motorists are forced to queue up for close to eight hours while others are forced to spend nights at gas stations with hopes of accessing any available petroleum deliveries.

    The Association has suggested to the government to consider engaging credible and financially sound companies to supply both crude and finished products to Zambia.

    Zambia imports its crude oil from the Middle East through ports in Tanzania and its only refinery plant, Indeni Petroleum Refinery, has obsolete equipment that cannot purify crude oil from neighbouring Angola - Africa’s third largest producer of crude oil.

    Zambia consumes about 700, 000 litres of diesel and 1 000, 000 litres of petrol daily.

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