Explore how the El Niño-linked drought has reshaped energy infrastructure in Southern Africa and what it means for investors navigating diverse challenges across the continent.
The El Niño-linked drought that parched Southern Africa in 2024 emptied one of the most important pieces of energy infrastructure on the continent.
Lake Kariba, which stretches across the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, dropped towards some of its lowest usable levels in years as rainfall across the Zambezi basin dwindled.
In Zambia, the consequences were felt through a power system closely tied to copper production and mining expansion, while in Zimbabwe the pressure exposed the limitations of an already strained and aging generation fleet.
The same event can carry profoundly different implications between African countries, and why risk across African energy projects similarly cannot be approached through a single lens.
