Zambia Government Declares Fuel Supply Situation an Emergency

A worker fills drums with water at a collection point at Bauleni Township in Lusaka, Zambia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

East Africa

As the war in the Middle East continues to drive up fuel prices, the Zambian government has called the current fuel supply situation an emergency.

Although they are thousands of kilometres away from the front line, residents in the country say they're feeling the impact of supply disruptions linked to Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.

Fredrick Nabuzoka, a local resident, said, "you have to spend some time on looking for fuel. The war should come to an end, and then fuel supply will flow."

Fridah Mbiza, another local resident, said, "my business is down. I cannot move regularly like I used to because of the fuel problem."

And Zambia is not the only country impacted on the African continent. Johnstone Chikwanda, a Zambian energy expert, said, "the energy insecurity is huge. It's not just for Zambia, it's about 75 percent of other African countries. And for Zambia, the price definitely is also going to swing up, just like other countries. And also, there is another fear, apart from just the price going up. The other fear is the availability factor."

Late March, the cabinet approved zero-rating of value-added tax and the halting of excise duty on petrol and diesel imports for a period of three months.