Zambezi River Authority Zambezi River Authority The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) is a corporation jointly and equally owned by the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is a governed by a four-person council consisting of the Ministers of Energy and Finance of each country. Its primary function is to operate and maintain the Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River. The ZRA was established in 1987 as a successor to the Central African Power Corporation, which had formerly managed power generation and transmission from the Kariba Dam. The Zambezi originates in northwestern Zambia, and runs west and then southwest through Angola before reentering Zambia.
Zimbabweans in Zambia exported more corn than it imported. Zambia was considered the "easy option" for Zimbabwean farmers as compared to other potential destinations such as Malawi or Nigeria due to the close resemblance between the soil and climate of Zambia and that of Zimbabwe, as well as Zambia's relative stability; however, farmers who relocated to Zambia typically took on heavy debts denominated in Zambian kwacha while selling their produce abroad for U.S. dollars, which put them into difficulties when the kwacha appreciated almost one-third against the dollar in 2006. Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe harshly criticised his Zambian counterpart Levy Mwanawasa for taking