Zambia’s irrigation potential is estimated at more than 500,000 hectares while only about 40,000 hectares are irrigated despite the country having abundant water resources. Increased yields in agricultural products like maize, rice and wheat, requires inputs such as fertilizers, irrigation water and proper roads to enable the harvested crops to be transported to the main markets and to prevent crop losses. 3.3  Energy (electricity)  Abundant investment opportunities exist in the energy sector in view of the huge power deficits in Southern Africa and Zambia’s potential for more hydro-power generation plants. Due to vast water resources and coal reserves, Zambia is ideal for the provision of hydroelectric power. Although most of the electricity is supplied from major hydro stations, there are also small diesel power stations in rural areas. There are plans to develop a 600-megawatt hydroelectric generation plant on the Kafue River. Currently, the development of Itezhi-Tezhi Hydro Electric Project; Kafue Gorge Lower Hydro-Electric Project; ZambiaTanzania Interconnector; and Zambia-Namibia Interconnector are underway. However, there is still potential for more power generation capacity for the private sector to invest in. Apart from the mining sector that provides a huge demand for power in the country, there is a huge demand for power in the SADC region as well as the Eastern African bloc. The expected rise of the manufacturing sector will also increase demand for power in the country. Opportunities also exist in alternative sources of power such as solar energy and gas energy for domestic cookers.
In the main urban centres, public telephones and independently operated cellular telephone networks are in place. Zambia also hosts ZamNet and other internet service providers. In order to continue diversifying our export base and further increase our export earnings, it is imperative that we intensify use of marketing strategies that take advantage of the fact that globalisation requires each country to develop more efficient modes of communication. Therefore, inadequate infrastructure, institutional capacity and investment in skilled human resources should continue to be aggressively addressed by targeting identified weak areas, and implement policies to tackle the weaknesses speedily so as to enhance economic growth and developments prospects. In addressing these issues, it is crucial to build strong partnerships, particularly with the private sector, for effective Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development in Zambia. The agriculture sector however, remains one of the key areas where advancements in ICTs have not yet been fully taken advantage of in order to benefit rural communities and the economy in general. In fact, communications infrastructure has been either lacking or inadequate in most rural areas of Zambia to give an opportunity to rural communities to access and distribute information at low cost, as well as facilitate interactive participation in the creation and use of agricultural information.