President Edgar Lungu is on Thursday this week expected to officially open Zimbabwe’s 56th International Trade Fair in Bulawayo.
President Lungu, who will be in the company of his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe, will address about 5,000 business visitors and over 70,000 spectators that are expected to attend the International Trade fair.
Zambia’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ndiyoyi Mutiti said Mr Lungu will travel to Bulawayo on April 30th 2015 after attending the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and government extra-ordinary summit in Harare.
“This is one of the major showcases of the trade and business side of Zimbabwe economy. It is really a big event in the economic environment of Zimbabwe,” Ms Mutiti said.
She told Zambian journalists in Harare yesterday that on April 29, President Lungu will be among other Heads of state and government that will attend the SADC extra-ordinary summit in Harare.
ZANIS reports that the Head of state is also expected to meet the Zambian community living in Zimbabwe after the summit on April 29th.
President Lungu will hold a one-on-one meeting with his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe when the former arrives in Harare on April 28, 2015.
Ms Mutiti said Zambia and Zimbabwe enjoy an excellent relation which is coupled with both small cross border and big trading in many goods.
She said many Zimbabweans import goods from Zambia.
Meanwhile, Ms Mutiti has disclosed that the April 29th 2015 SADC extra-ordinary summit, whose theme is ‘regional strategy and roadmap for industrialisation’, will discuss strategies and the roadmap for the industrialisation of the region.
The SADC industrialisation strategy and roadmap come in the aftermath of the 34th SADC ordinary summit which was held in Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls town in August 2014, whose theme was ‘SADC strategy for economic transformation, leveraging the region’s diverse resources for sustainable and social development through beneficiation and value addition’.
She said the SADC member states have realised that they were endowed with a lot of natural resources where raw materials are gotten.
She said the raw materials should be improved into finished products in order to further enhance trade and economic development in the region.
The Ambassador to Zimbabwe noted that currently, there is a lot of trade going on among SADC member states but this commerce was not very profitable because it deals mainly in raw materials.
Ms Mutiti noted that the only way to stimulate sustainable development is to create industries that can add value to raw materials.
“We would like to build as SADC, on the industrialisation in our respective countries so that we can further strengthen and enhance the economic environment that obtains for the good of our people,” she explained.
And preparatory meetings for the SADC extra ordinary Heads of state and government summit started in Harare yesterday with the assembly of senior officials from member countries.
In the meeting of senior officials, Zambia was represented by the Ministry of Commerce Permanent Secretary Siazongo Siakalenge, Ms Mutiti and some government officials.
The meeting of senior officials, which closes today April 26, will feed into the Council of Ministers which will subsequently prepare the agenda for the extra-ordinary Heads of state and government summit set for Wednesday.
There are 14 countries that make up the SADC which is currently being chaired by President Mugabe.
The countries are Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique.
Others are Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The obama of africa viva ecl,because of his wisdom and intelligence,he is being recorgnised internationally,yet sum pipo in this country want to belittle him,we should all b proud to hav ecl as our president
@ Mwila, birds of the same feathers flew together, why should you be proud of EL who makes a dictator Mugabe his best Friend, Zimbabwe was the bread basket of southern Africa, but look at it now, its a sorry sight, no freedom of speech, Land redistribution has gone wrong because it was given to party cadres like you with no capacity to run not even a back yard garden.
So you want Zambia to go the same way, 90 days in office and all he can show for are used plan tickets and a big bank balance because of the travel allowance he is getting.
Ba Lusaka Times please stop publishing the face of Edgar lungu. His ugly and Kachasu infested face is scaring my little children at home. my two daughters normally experience nightmares each time the see this sangoma haunted face. just publish the rubish he says and not his images, they are a threat to children.
Hope my request will be accepted and thanks in anticipation.
President Lungu stop wasting meagre resources on unnecessary travels. Since you have decided to go, go in the morning, come back in the evening with no diem allowances to anybody, including yourself. Zambians are suffering. No food, no desks, no medicines, no doctors, no nurses; pensioners are dying without being paid. Stop the rot. Surrender your salary to the state. Set an example.
@ Mwila, my brother/sister, I agree with you. That’s the way top go. We’ll support ECL through and through after all he is our tribal cousin. Yes lets cement this our tribal cousinship even more so that we support each other come what may.
Just like West and South are close to each other lets also do the same.Them through their cunning and sleek are even buying NW and Copperbelt by always convincing them ati ‘ you people of NWP are our cousins, lets get together’. Lets not allow them to separate us and plant bad seed as they are doing
We thank God for ECL, this man is a very good President.
Zambia is rely a blessed country.
Haters will hate
No one in there right mind will hates Lungu , the problem we have in Zambia is that when the opposition make demands and provide checks and balances, PF thinks its hate. If EL and PF did the right thing and fulfilled all there campaign promises of changing the country within 90 days, new constitution, more medicines in hospitals, more jobs for the youths, low cost of living no one would be talking against them by now.
No one in there right mind hates Lungu , the problem we have in Zambia is that when the opposition make demands and provide checks and balances, PF thinks its hate. If EL and PF did the right thing and fulfilled all there campaign promises of changing the country within 90 days, new constitution, more medicines in hospitals, more jobs for the youths, low cost of living no one would be talking against them by now.
Bantu Botatwe – Disrespecting and insulting the president is not checks and balances. There is nothing the Zambian opposition has to offer
This lazy bum Edgar will take very opportunity to get out of his office as he has no vision at all!
Jay Jay, you are just one lazy b*stard, you loser!
Ba Lusaka Times please stop publishing the face of Edgar lungu. His ugly and Kachasu infested face is scaring my little children at home. my two daughters normally experience nightmares each time the see this sangoma haunted face. just publish the rubish he says and not his images, they are a threat to children.
Hope my request will be accepted and thanks in anticipation.
Wechipuba wee,then ngatwakutuka ati iyo mwantuka,all u kno is insulting and disrespectin the president,sorry we’ll not sit back and watch u insult our president ******we
Mulifyehule imwe banyina, Hildah Malama
You are not a christian, so you have to be afraid .
Please repent together with you children before
its too late. Us children of God feel very much happy
glad when we come across the face of our lovely and
handsome President- ECL. Fipelwa na ba Yahweh.
Ba LT, today its been all about ” Lungu this and Lungu that” . Is there no other news? I’ve had my fill of ECL reports to last me the whole year from the last 2days. Ni ngikuta
this is what I am talking about – why on earth must he go to open this fair, does he not know how to say NO? I’d rather he is having town hall meetings with people around Zambia so he can have a better understanding of what the needs are at home and just may be he might start working on pressing issues. so disappointing
How dull are some of you people? Have you not read that he is going for the Extraordinary summit of SADC and then he will open the fair. He is not primarily going for the fair but for the meeting with other heads of state and then on the side, he will open the fair. Grow up people.
Zambia the real africa . In western world the call it dark continent. 50 years since independence some stuff, what was the point of independence ? For Nsanda to steal k6 billion Kwacha ? RB for is corruption? FTJ to sell the mines to himself ? Lungu getting money from boko haram ? Kabwe was one of the best towns during white rule , chingola used to be the cleanest towns in sourthern Africa . $15 billions in deit zambian government now. Anyone seen lungu talk about the economy? Sata talk about economy? Guess we are used been poor . We zambians need leaders who can plan 20 to 50 years forward .
and that leader is definitely not He Himself!
Edgar Chagwa Lungu has a more sober leadership style than the chaotic late M.C ,Sata.
Sata was the least travelled President. He was more focused on devt than Lungu who has no vision and has travelled more in 90 days. Sata achieved more within a short time the legacy which contributed to people voting for Lungu so that he continues with the development agenda. So what do yu mean Lungu is better. Don’t be so full of hate for the old man and you are such a liar God will judge you.
Kamwendo munjila resolve issues back home alase!
Mwebantu sure stop insulting our Head of state like that,he deserves respect despite his weaknesses which we all have in one way or the other
Let us be fair to the President. He is travelling to Zimbabwe to attend a SADC Heads of State and Government summit and thereafter he will open the Zimbabwe Trade Fair. He is not travelling to Zimbabwe solely for the Trade Fair.
Understandably, many Zambians become frustrated if their president is seen to “waste” time trying to appease the ungrateful Zimbabweans.
It seems comprehension is till a challenge to many blogers, problem being your brains, if at all you have any, are so shrouded with hate!…he is foing for the SADCC meeting you retards!
meant is still and going for SADCC…
It seems to me that the shameful xenophobia acts of violence in South Africa is bringing these two miscreants closer together. I remember when ka Lungu was first inaugurated, dictator Bob looked down at him as if he was his personal garden boy.
Didn’t know that has Zimbabwe has an International Trade Fair. To me its more of a International Trade UnFair because the benefits are going to too few Zimbabweans. Time Southern Africa woke up and resisted pathetic leadership like this. Enough is enough.