ECA sub-regional office for southern Africa transitions to clean energy with ground-breaking hybrid solar system

Lusaka, Zambia - 5 February 2026 (ECA) - The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) today held a Contract Close-Out Session marking the successful completion of a pioneering hybrid photovoltaic (PV) solar system at its Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) in Lusaka, Zambia. The project represents a significant milestone in the ECA's commitment to sustainable operations and climate resilience.

The new hybrid solar system has enabled the office to achieve substantial reductions in generator run-time-from 83.3% to just 8%-resulting in dramatic decreases in fuel consumption, operating costs, and carbon emissions. This makes SRO-SA the first ECA sub-regional office to implement such a comprehensive renewable energy solution.

The project was a pragmatic response to severe power supply disruptions experienced from May 2024 as a result of a climate induced emergency. Depleted water reserves at the Kariba hydroelectric dam, caused by severe droughts in 2023/2024, forced the Zambian Electric Power Corporation (ZESCO) to implement nationwide power rationing. The situation left SRO-SA running its backup generator up to 87% of working hours, ultimately leading to generator failure and threatening business continuity.

"We are not just talking about energy transition-we are living it," said Ms. Eunice Kamwendo, Director of SRO-SA. "This project helps ECA and the UN practice what we preach, allowing us to work in an environment powered by clean, sustainable and diversified energy system. The benefits of harvesting solar energy are clear: near-zero emissions, significant carbon and cost reductions."

The project successfully combined urgent operational requirements with sustainability and climate-resilience objectives through collaboration across multiple ECA entities, including the Facilities Management Section (FMS), Contracts Management Unit (CMU), Procurement Unit, and Administration, Finance and Budget units.

Mr. Ergin Obadem, Chief of FMS, highlighted the excellent inter-unit collaboration that enabled project completion within 10 months, noting that the achievement demonstrated ECA's capacity to deliver sustainable solutions under exigent circumstances.

The contract close-out session emphasized knowledge capture and institutional learning. Mr. Slavisa Vidakovic, Chief of Supply Chain Management, outlined how the session aimed to identify contractual, procurement, technical, environmental, and project management best practices for application across future ECA initiatives.

Ms. Mai-Ellen Russ, Officer in Charge of Administration, emphasized that "the close-out phase represents a critical moment for accountability, shared responsibility, and joint collaboration that ensures best practices inform future initiatives."

The lessons-learned exercise captured insights related to emergency response, change management, logistics, and integration of concurrent contracts. These validated contributions from key stakeholders have been memorialized in the ECA repository to strengthen institutional memory, promote continuous improvement, and ensure value-for-money in future infrastructure projects.

The hybrid solar system provides:

Dramatic reduction in generator dependency: from 83.3% to 8% runtime

Near-zero emission energy alternative

Significant carbon footprint reduction

Enhanced operational resilience and business continuity

Reduced fuel consumption and operating costs

This pioneering project demonstrates ECA's commitment to mainstreaming environmental sustainability and climate-change adaptation into operational solutions, setting a precedent for other UN facilities across the region.

Issued by:
The Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa
UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
P.O. Box 30647, Lusaka, Zambia.

Media Contacts:
Ms. Lavender Degre,
Communication Officer,
Tel: +260 211 228502/5 Ext. 21307
DL: +260 211 376607
Email: [email protected]