.YALUMA

By CHATULA KAMPO and SARAH TEMBO –

MINES, Energy and Water Development Minister Christopher Yaluma has directed the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) to suspend the issuance of licences to new oil manufacturing companies, retail outlets and  foreign petroleum truckers supplying fuel within the  country.
Mr Yaluma directed the authority to suspend the issuance of licences to all foreign tankers engaged by oil manufacturing companies to distribute the product locally.
He said the board would not renew licences for all foreign distributors who were distributing locally.
“The Zambia people have been deprived of participating in this industry. They have tankers but are not engaged in the business by oil manufacturing companies. We need to empower the Zambian people in this business. I am directing ERB to put to an end to the issuance licenses to foreign truckers,” he said.
The minister said this during a press briefing shortly after officiating at the 2014 energy week at Savoy hotel in Ndola yesterday.
Mr Yaluma urged Zambians to borrow money and expand their business to be engaged in the distribution of petroleum products locally.
He said the retail outlets in the country had poor standards, hence the need by the regulator to suspend the issuance licences to new retail outlets.
He said the country had allowed a lot of foreigners that had established petroleum retail outlets of poor standard.
The minister said the ban would be lifted after the ERB put up an act, standards, guidelines and specifications that would be used in issuing licences to retail outlets.
Mr Yaluma also said Government was revising the energy policy on electrification.