Quick Navigation
- Background: Why Zambia is a key market
- Rural Electrification Authority (REA) – Zambia
- ZESCO Projects (Utility-Led)
- Road Development Agency (RDA) + City Councils
- Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) – Corridor Lighting
- Sollatek Zambia
- ENGIE Energy Access (Fenix) – Zambia
- VITALITE Zambia
- Muhanya Solar
- Chinese EPCs (Sinohydro, AVIC, CWE) in Zambia
- Local SMEs (Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola)
- Comparison of Key Players
- Final Takeaway
- Work With Sunlurio
Background: Why Zambia is a key market
Two demand streams drive this market.
1) Rural programs under the Ministry of Energy and REA push lights for trading centers, feeder roads, schools, and clinics.
2) Urban work in Lusaka and the Copperbelt (Kitwe, Ndola, Chingola) targets crime reduction, traffic safety, and load-shedding resilience.
Payment risk is lower when projects ride on government or donor funds (World Bank/AfDB/EU). But paperwork is strict. Bids often ask for IEC/CE test reports, IP66/IK08, LM-80/LM-79, and ISO 12944 for poles. If your supplier can’t produce it, your technical file gets stuck.
Rural Electrification Authority (REA) – Zambia
REA is the main buyer for rural road and township lighting. They bundle solar street lights into mini-grid and grid-extension packages, with funding windows that come and go.
What they actually do: Issue tenders, split by province or district. Projects cover market squares, bus stops, schools, health posts, police posts.
Why EPCs engage: Donor-backed payments and scale. But timelines can be long and paperwork heavy.
Case Example: A 2023 REA call covered multiple districts with a few hundred lights total, split by lot. Winning bidders paired all-in-one heads with hot-dip galvanized poles for 3-night autonomy.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Largest rural buyer | Tender cycles long |
| Donor-linked funding | Heavy documentation |
| Multi-district scale | High competition |
ZESCO Projects (Utility-Led)
ZESCO is the national utility. Their focus is grid, but they also sponsor or host street-light programs with councils or ministries, especially where load-shedding hits hard.
What they actually do: Procure or co-manage lighting on key roads, estates near substations, or public facilities.
Why buyers engage: Visibility and coordination with grid work. When ZESCO is involved, approvals tend to move.
Case Example: In 2022, ZESCO supported a city-corridor lighting upgrade in Lusaka with several hundred LED heads and solar kits phased over months to match budget release.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Government weight behind the project | Processes can be bureaucratic |
| Easier coordination with grid | Scope changes mid-project |
| Stable counterpart | Not always pure “solar-first” specs |
Road Development Agency (RDA) + City Councils
RDA oversees national roads. City councils handle arterials, feeder roads, parks. Many jobs are council-led, with funding from central government or grants.
What they actually do: Issue tenders for corridors and junctions; councils push estate and township lighting.
Why buyers engage: Fast visibility for mayors and MPs. Smaller lots suit mid-size EPCs.
Case Example: In 2024 a Kitwe council package replaced aging lights on market roads with solar units and galvanized poles to cut generator use.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Quicker local decisions | Smaller budgets |
| Strong community impact | Price sensitivity is high |
| Easier site access | Mixed paperwork quality |
Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC)rg/wiki/Copperbelt) Energy Corporation (CEC) – Corridor Lighting
CEC manages power infrastructure for mines and corridors in Copperbelt. They support corridor safety projects and can co-fund lighting where it ties to operations.
What they actually do: Add lighting to roads near industrial lines, staff housing routes, and mine access ways.
Why buyers engage: Strong technical stance. They care about OPEX and real battery life, not brochure promises.
Case Example: A Ndola–Kitwe connector saw a staged roll-out of solar street lights in 2023/24 to deal with dark spots and theft-prone areas.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Industrial-grade expectations | Limited to operational corridors |
| Careful on specs and O&M | Long technical review loops |
| Potential co-funding | Tight HSE requirements |
A well-known distributor brand in Zambia for solar gear. They supply all-in-one lights and component stacks (panels, batteries, controllers) with service through branches/partners.
What they actually do: Quote full kits, provide datasheets, match poles via local fabricators, and help with spares.
Why buyers pick them: Availability, national presence, and parts continuity. Councils like predictable sourcing.
Case Example: In 2023 Ndola public areas got about 150 integrated units, installed by a local EPC using Sollatek supply and local poles.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Stock depth, predictable lead times | Performance mid-range vs premium imports |
| Simple warranty process | Custom optics limited |
| Good pricing for councils | Paperwork depends on OEM batch |
ENGIE Energy Access (Fenix) – Zambia
ENGIE’s pay-go arm (Fenix) operates in Zambia. Their main work is home systems, but they can support community lighting and small council jobs, often with donor angles.
What they actually do: Bundle lights with community programs; offer financing or payment support; train local techs.
Why buyers pick them: Trust from donors and NGOs; reach in rural areas.
Case Example: In 2022 an NGO-backed community lighting pilot near Chongwe used ENGIE kits for paths, clinics, and small squares, mixing bollards and a few street lights.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Donor-trusted name | Not a street-light specialist |
| Rural distribution network | Specs entry-level |
| Training and service | Not ideal for highways |
A strong pay-go local brand with national reach. They can mobilize small teams for installs and do simple maintenance visits.
What they actually do: Supply small solar kits and, when asked, street/area lights for villages, schools, and markets under NGO/council projects.
Why buyers pick them: Grassroots presence. They help councils track issues and swap parts without long delays.
Case Example: In 2021–22 rural Central Province got ~100 lights around schools and markets using VITALITE-supplied heads and locally made poles.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Rural footprint, quick mobilization | Limited highway-grade specs |
| Affordable | Shorter warranties |
| Simple after-sales | Paperwork lighter than donor wants |
One of Zambia’s longer-standing renewable firms. Known for PV systems and water pumps; they also take on street lighting, especially where engineering support is needed.
What they actually do: System design, site surveys, BoQ optimization, integration of separate PV + battery + LED for higher spec corridors.
Why buyers pick them: Engineering-first approach, helpful when tenders are strict on photometry and autonomy.
Case Example: In 2024 Lusaka’s peri-urban roads saw ~120 lights specified as separate PV + battery cabinets to hit 3-night autonomy, with dimming profiles to extend life.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Engineering depth, custom builds | Higher capex than AIO |
| Better autonomy control | Longer install time |
| Good tender documentation | Needs strong site teams |
Chinese EPCs (Sinohydro, AVIC, CWE) in Zambia
These EPCs handle road and bridge packages. Street lighting is often a line item in larger works. Financing support helps, but flexibility can be low.
What they actually do: Deliver corridor lighting as part of highways, interchanges, or PPPs; sometimes specify modular systems with cabinets.
Why buyers pick them: They unlock funding and handle big scope fast.
Case Example: A Lusaka ring-road section got several hundred solar lights tied to a roads upgrade schedule; EPC provided poles, civils, and mast arms.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Scale + financing | Bureaucratic change control |
| Speed on large corridors | Limited supplier flexibility |
| PPP familiarity | Hard for local SMEs to partner |
Local SMEs (Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola)
A cluster of local SMEs supply generic all-in-one lights with local poles, ideal for small council lots and estate jobs. Price wins here.
What they actually do: Import heads, fabricate poles locally, do quick installs for township roads, clinics, and parks.
Why buyers pick them: Lowest capex and fast rollout.
Case Example: In 2023–24, Kitwe and Ndola saw many 50–100 unit batches from SMEs for ward roads—quick wins before fiscal deadlines.
Advantages vs Limitations
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Cheapest per unit | QC varies; paperwork thin |
| Very fast delivery | Short warranties |
| Easy to engage | Limited optics and autonomy proof |
| Player | Strength | Typical Use | Example Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| REA (Zambia) | Rural scale & funding | Trading centers, feeder roads | Multi-lot rural tenders |
| ZESCO | Utility coordination | City corridors, estates | Co-managed urban upgrades |
| RDA + Councils | Fast local impact | Feeder/market roads | Small–mid lots |
| CEC (Copperbelt) | Industrial-grade focus | Mine/industrial corridors | Safety + HSE-driven |
| Sollatek Zambia | National supply | Council rolls, parks | 100–200 unit batches |
| ENGIE (Fenix) | Donor/NGO trust | Community lighting | Clinics, paths, markets |
| VITALITE | Rural network | Small council lots | Schools, markets |
| Muhanya Solar | Engineering builds | Higher-spec corridors | Cabinet + modular builds |
| Chinese EPCs | Scale + finance | Highways/PPPs | Ring roads, interchanges |
| Local SMEs | Lowest capex | Ward projects | 50–100 unit lots |
Zambia buys solar street lights for two reasons: keep roads safe during outages and light up rural trade. The winners are not always the cheapest. They are the ones who pass technical checks and still deliver on time.
- For rural donor lots (REA): bring clean IEC/ISO paperwork and simple O&M.
- For Copperbelt corridors (CEC, councils): focus on real autonomy and anti-theft design.
- For city upgrades (Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola): show photometry, corrosion reports, and a spares plan.
- If budget is razor-thin: SMEs and AIO imports can work, but plan for higher maintenance.
If you need 230 lm/W LEDs, 6000+ cycle LiFePO₄, hot-dip galvanized poles with ISO 12944, and a tender file that clears technical review on the first pass, bring Sunlurio into your bid.
We help Zambia-focused EPCs and councils with:
- Compliance-ready submittals: IEC/CE, LM-80/LM-79, IP66/IK08, ISO 12944 pole tests
- High-efficiency systems: 230 lm/W, ≥12 h/night, ≥3 nights autonomy
- Long-life batteries: LiFePO₄ 6000+ cycles, vandal-aware cabinet options
- Coastal/Copperbelt coatings: hot-dip galvanizing + optional duplex coatings
- No-surprise logistics: container planning, spares lists, site training
👉 Don’t let paperwork or weak hardware sink your bid. Win cleanly with Sunlurio.
