The University of Zambia – UNZA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding – MOU with University of Oxford aimed at collaborating in the field of renewable energy solutions.
The MoU will allow UNZA’s Solar Energy Center housed in the Department of Physics, School of Natural Sciences and Smith School of Enterprise and Environment at the University of Oxford collaborate in the field of renewable energy solutions.
Speaking during the signing ceremony at the University of Zambia main Campus on 26th August 2019, UNZA Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Enala Tembo Mwase, said the MoU signed will allow UNZA and University of Oxford to co-operate in finding solutions to the challenge of rural electrification in Zambia, where only 5% of the population have access to electricity.
The Acting Vice Chancellor added that the signing of the bilateral agreement between UNZA and University of Oxford reaffirms UNZA’s commitment to research around renewable energy solutions.
Prof. Tembo Mwase, emphasized that the agreement signed with University of Oxford is an exciting chapter in UNZA’s strategic objective of promoting mutually beneficial partnerships in the knowledge economy.
She further stated that UNZA is committed to contributing to Zambia’s attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number seven (7) that stipulates the need to ensure universal access to affordable, valuable, sustainable and clean energy by 2030.
And University of Oxford Research Associate, Dr. Susann Stritzke, assured UNZA of Oxford’s commitment in the partnership. She hinted that the co-operation agreement is of significance to University of Oxford as it accords the university a chance to learn and work with UNZA in an inter-disciplinary area of clean energy access and development in Zambia.
Dr. Stritzke, added that University of Oxford is happy to work with UNZA in designing a holistic and inter-disciplinary approach to solving the challenges of rural electrification through integrating various infrastructure based on identified community needs and opportunities.
“The MoU signed between UNZA and University of Oxford will promote co-operation between the two universities in finding solutions to the problem of access to electricity for the rural communities in Zambia,” She said.
Meanwhile, Dean in the School of Natural Sciences, Dr. Habatwa Vincent Mweene, said it is an honour for the School to collaborate with University of Oxford. He stated that UNZA has a lot of expertise in the field of renewable energy and that the two universities stand to benefit from each other through research, workshops and academic exchanges.
The Dean explained that the MoU signed, signifies the School of Natural Science’s resolve to undertake research around the field of renewable energy solutions. “Our strength can be seen in the success of the Solar Energy Center (SEC) which today is churning out cutting-edge research in the field of clean energy” Dr. Mweene said.
