Zimbabwe is witnessing more investors, with the Victoria Falls based Mpala Jena Camp becoming the latest investor into solar farms.
Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Priscah Mupfumira, who officially opened the Mpala Jena Camp yesterday said the construction of the multi-million-dollar investment began in January 2018 and was completed in December 2018.
“This property has the largest solar farm in Zimbabwe, which is very much welcome in terms of responsible tourism,” Mupfumira said.
Speaking during the official opening, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Acting Chief Executive, Rita Likukuma highlighted that Mpala Jena Camp is unique in that it is one of the only two properties that fully operate on solar power in Zimbabwe.
Investment into solar energy is crucial for Zimbabwe, which has in the past witnessed load shedding due to electricity shortage.
Zimbabwe is facing challenges in energy production and is importing electricity from other countries for consumption at home.
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has been encouraging investment into other alternatives to reduce pressure on the government-owned power producer, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA).
The country, however, enjoys at least 300 days of sunlight per year, which makes the nation more lucrative for solar energy investment.
Besides investing in renewable energy, the Acting ZTA Chief Executive also applauded the camp for the foreign currents earning capacity that Mpala Jena created by putting up such an asset.
“Because of the work that Great Plains is doing in Zimbabwe, you can become the mouth piece that can tell a positive story about Zimbabwe and I must say we have so many positive stories to talk about. Further to that, your conservation efforts which also fall within our Ministry’s portfolio are such a fantastic addition to all the work that you are doing here and your association with National Geographic gives us that extra platform to talk about all the good things that are happening in Zimbabwe “Likukuma said