WE, in the village, are not lagging behind with regards to development. As the world steps further into the vortex of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, energy has become the pulse of progress. From rural electrification to industrial growth, from e-learning to e-health, the ability to access reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy is no longer a luxury, it is a developmental imperative.

7For Zimbabwe, a country endowed with long hours of sunlight, perennial rivers, and strong winds, the energy question is not just about watts and volts. It is about sovereignty, dignity, and the power to shape our own destiny. Zimbabwe’s commitment under the National Energy Compact and its alignment with the broader continental ambition of ‘Mission 300’ to electrify millions of African homes by 2030 marks a historic shift. We are not just chasing targets; we are reclaiming agency over the infrastructural arteries of our economy.

The goal to electrify 3,1 million households and achieve 70 percent access to clean cooking solutions is not only ambitious; it is necessary. Energy is not an isolated sector. It is the hidden hand behind agriculture, mining, education, health, manufacturing, and ICT. Without electricity, a classroom remains a mere shelter. Without power, our hospitals become storage rooms for unused diagnostic machines. Without sustainable cooking energy, our forests vanish, and our women bear the burden of health risks and deforestation. Energy shapes outcomes across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For decades, Africa has been energy-poor but resource-rich.

The contradiction is stark: Africa holds over 60 percent of the world’s solar potential, yet it hosts nearly 600 million people who live without electricity. In Zimbabwe, while we have made strides in expanding the grid, we still have large swathes of the country that remain in the dark. For Zimbabwe to meet its energy goals, the private sector must not be a spectator but a protagonist. The capital requirements, technology infusion, innovation drive, and project management discipline that private players bring are indispensable.

Fortunately, policy frameworks such as the Renewable Energy Policy and the Independent Power Producer (IPP) regulations are beginning to bear fruit. Yet we must go further. We need robust public-private partnerships, streamlined regulatory approvals, and incentive frameworks that attract not just investment, but committed partnerships. Energy is a long-term game. It is not just about building a solar farm in Gwanda or a mini-hydro plant in Nyanga. It is about building trust, ensuring tariff transparency, and creating off-take guarantees that de-risk investor confidence. Local banks must be empowered to underwrite these projects.

Local technical institutions must train the next generation of renewable energy engineers. We must think local, but act global. In the kitchens of our grandmothers lies a crisis rarely spoken of in boardrooms. A significant number of Zimbabwean households still rely on firewood or charcoal for cooking. This is not just an environmental issue; it is a health and gender issue. Women and girls spend long hours collecting firewood, risking exposure to sexual violence and respiratory illnesses from smoke inhalation.

Clean cooking solutions, LPG, biogas, electric cookers, improved cookstoves, must be mainstreamed into our energy planning. Distribution systems, affordability, and culturally appropriate solutions are vital. This is where social enterprises and local innovators must step in with business models that serve people, profit and the planet.

One of the greatest advantages of modern energy technology is its decentralised nature. We no longer need to wait for the national grid to snake its way to every village. With solar microgrids, mini-hydro stations, and wind-solar hybrids, we can leapfrog into an era of distributed energy. In Buhera, a community solar hub can power a clinic, a grinding mill, and a school. In Binga, a mini-hydro plant can drive fish freezing plants and tourism lodges.

This modularity of energy must be embraced as a core feature of our national electrification strategy. Energy is power in more than one sense. It is also about who controls it. A nation that cannot power its own economy cannot fully claim sovereignty. By investing in local generation capacity, be it through Kariba South expansion, Hwange thermal upgrades, or solar farms across the provinces, we reclaim strategic autonomy.

The emergence of lithium and other green minerals in Zimbabwe offers another strategic advantage. Let us not just extract lithium for export; let us build the value chain locally from battery assembly to energy storage technology. This is how energy becomes not just a cost centre, but a growth engine. Energy development cannot be left to the Ministry of Energy alone. It is intersectoral.

Agriculture must be at the table. So must Finance, Women’s Affairs, Local Government, and Industry. The success of energy interventions depends on coordinated planning and data-driven implementation. Zimbabwe is blessed with a youthful population. What better way to engage them than through energy entrepreneurship? From solar technicians to biogas developers, from smart grid designers to energy auditors, the clean energy economy offers thousands of green jobs. Let our technical colleges and universities offer targeted programmes. Let us incubate startups in clean tech.

Let us incentivise youth cooperatives to run solar kiosks in remote areas. Energy is not just about supply and demand. It is about hope and success. When a young girl in Lupane can study under a solar lamp, her dreams become brighter. When a farmer in Mhondoro can pump water without diesel, his profits become real. When a hospital in Chimanimani can run 24/7 on clean power, lives are saved. The Energy Compact is not a document; it is a declaration of intent, a manifesto of national renewal. But intentions must meet implementation. Rhetoric must meet results. Energy must be seen as a pillar, not a peripheral.

Let us invest wisely, partner strategically, and implement faithfully. Let us light every home, power every dream, and energise every ambition. And continue building a Zimbabwe that leaves no one and no place behind. l Businessman Tawanda Chenana is also a philanthropist and Secretary for Lands for ZANU PF Mashonaland East Province.