Monze District poised for massive investment owing to geothermal power plant Dev

A Multi Facility Economic Zone to house processing industries for farm and dairy produce among other industries has been on the cards since 2019 and was the main investment highlight for the District together with the Geothermal Company at the 2019 Southern Province Investment and Tourism Exposition in Livingstone.

Dr. Moses Banda the company director explains that his company’s main interest and objective is power production which will not create so much direct employment as the plant will be mostly mechanized but that employment will come from the direct uses which has the potential to create thousands of jobs in the different industries which will be created from the byproduct of the power production.

And the traditional leadership in the area is thrilled with the development in the area and its impact on communities around as revealed by Chief Hamusonde who espoused that touring geothermal plants in Kenya had exposed him to the huge potential that the plant in his Chiefdom holds.

He said commended Kalahari for their resilience and determination to ensure that project is realized adding that the company will bring so much development to the Chiefdom and the District at large.

His Royal Highness promised to mobilize all stakeholders and interest groups in the District to rally behind the project and ensure that land is made available for the anticipated ventures in the area.

Bweembelo Choongo Co-Chair of the Chief’s Council for the Choongo Royal Establishment said The Royal Establishment was overjoyed with the prospects of being part of biggest investment in the Province.

He notes that the power plant will offer solutions to the perennial wastage of dairy products due to the lack of industries in the area and that the coming in of such industries will add value to their products.

He illuminates that his Chiefdom working in collaboration with the neighboring Hamusonde Chiefdom will ensure that all necessary engagements such as sensitizing the communities in the area on the need to release land for investment are completed to avoid conflicts among interest groups such as investors and locals.

Goretti Bbalo the Monze District Administrative Officer reminisced that the development in Bweengwa will actualize what the District Investment and Tourism Expo Committee propagated and visualized during the 2019 Expo in Livingstone.

She said the recent appreciation visit by Monze District Officials to Kenya’s Naivasha and Menegai in Nakuru county where KenGen and Geothermal Development Company (GDC) have been undertaking Geothermal Energy activities for decades had exposed stakeholders to the huge potential and that Monze District will be the envy of other Districts in the Province when the envisaged investments start flocking to Bweengwa.

It is envisioned that a Geothermal Hot Spa, the first of its kind in Southern Africa and second to Kenya’s magnificent Olkaria Geothermal Hot Spa in the continent will be constructed in the Lochinvar National Park, a development which will boost local and international tourism in the District and a boom in the hospitality industry due to the demands of the Geothermal Hot Spa which is believed to be of medicinal value and offers natural skin treatment without any side effects.

The Lochinvar National Park is a world heritage wetland site, home to the famous Chunga Lagoon, a sanctuary for birdlife and is the most sought after bird migration destination. In addition to being the stronghold for the semiaquatic endemic Kafue Lechwe, the National Park is home to all water birds in Central and Southern Africa hence making Monze the prime destination for bird watching tourism.