Zambia’s cabinet has approved a pilot scheme to import petrol in bulk, a move the government says is aimed at easing pump prices and strengthening the country’s fuel supply security.
The decision was taken at the final cabinet meeting of the year, held in December at State House, Chief Government Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa said in a statement.
Under the plan, petrol will be imported through a limited bidding process over a four-month pilot period, allowing demand from several oil marketing companies to be aggregated in a single procurement exercise.
Mweetwa said the approach was designed to secure better international purchase terms by leveraging economies of scale, while also improving access to more favourable financing and strengthening risk management across the fuel supply chain.
“The bulk importation pilot is intended to unlock economies of scale, enhance access to more favourable financial terms and strengthen risk management, with the ultimate aim of reducing retail fuel prices for motorists,” he said.
Zambia, like several other countries in the region, has been grappling with high fuel prices driven by global oil market volatility, currency pressures and supply chain constraints, with fuel costs feeding into transport fares and the price of basic goods.
In a separate decision, cabinet also approved the creation of a Constituency Energy Benefit Trust, which will provide a legal framework for the ownership, governance and management of equity held by the Minister of Finance in the Zambia National Energy Corporation Limited on behalf of constituencies.
Mweetwa said the move would pave the way for the formal implementation of the presidential constituency energy initiative, aimed at expanding access to energy and ensuring communities benefit directly from investments in the sector.
The government did not immediately say when the bulk import pilot would begin, but officials said its outcomes would inform longer-term reforms to the fuel procurement system.
