The African Union has congratulated President Edgar Lungu for his re-election in the 2016 general elections at the official opening ceremony of the 28th ordinary session of the African Union today.
And the African Union has also applauded Zambians and its leadership for the continued peace that the country has enjoyed for a long time now.
ZANIS reports that Chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dilamini Zuma recognised and hailed President Lungu in her opening remarks during the official opening of the summit.
And President Edgar Lungu has held talks with the President of Togo Faure Gnassingbe in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
The two leaders met on Monday and exchanged ideas on various issues affecting their countries.
President Lungu said Zambia has for a long time depended on copper as its main economic activity but now is diversifying the economy to other areas such as agriculture.
The President proposed an agenda which would look at ways in which both the Togolese and Zambian business men and women, technocrats and government officials can share notes.
He said the move will open up new economic investment opportunities and expand those that are already in existence.
President Lungu called for the two countries to cooperate and strengthen their relations for the benefit of the people in the two countries.
He said he was looking forward to meet with the Togolese President to discuss how best the two countries can exchange notes to push the development agenda forward.
“We also want our people to also come to Togo and explore possible areas of investment, because as government we don’t create jobs we just provide land, policy guidelines and law. I don’t see why outsiders should invest in Africa we can have Zambians invest in Togo and the Togolese people to invest in Zambia. And I think this is the way we should build our pan Africanism” said President Lungu.
He said Zambia has had challenges in the energy sector owing to its dependence on hydro powered electricity hence the country is now exploring the area of solar energy
And President Gnassingbe told President Lungu that his country wants to learn more from Zambia in the energy sector especially solar energy.
He said the rate of access to electricity in Togo was as low as 36 percent in urban areas and six percent in rural areas.
“We want to learn from Zambia in the solar energy because most people in the rural areas have no access to electricity,” he said.
President Gnassingbe said the only way Togo can improve access to electricity and agriculture activities was through solar energy and that half of the power comes from Nigeria and Ghana.
He added that his country is also into mining phosphate and lamented that the prices of the mineral on the world market fluctuate.
President Gnassingbe said his country like Zambia is also exploring the idea of diversifying into the agriculture sector and that his country depends more on integration with other countries
President Gnassingbe said he wanted Zambia and Togo to exchange notes and learn from each other on how to harness a vibrant civil society which can work with the government without necessarily undermining the authority of the state.
He pointed out that African needs to reach a consensus on how to deal with certain issues
The Togolese President told President Lungu that West African countries such as Mali, Niger Nigeria, and Chad face a lot of security challenges.
President Gnassingbe said if left unchecked all the resources channelled towards development would go towards addressing issues on security.
He said he also wanted to learn more from Zambia on the issues of private and public sector development as governments can only provide an enabling environment and a good framework.
President Gnassingbe said the move may result into job creation for the people of the two countries.
President Lungu is the current chairperson on the Security Council of the African Union
ZANIS reportage is fake.
AU is aware the 2016 Zambian elections are still inconclusive. AU adheres to the rule of law and believe aggrieved parties in any elections out come go to court and the court of law is obliged to hear such petition. That process did not/is not taking place in the Zambian disputed elections. To the contrary AU is still waiting for that process to happen and put the matter to rest. AU did not need to wait this long to attend its meetings in order to thank him for allegedly being the victor. What was said by AU is that despite elections difficulties experienced by Zambians they (Zambians) had a peaceful transition. This was in reference to wars after elections in other African countries. Zambians are peaceful but leaders like Lungu being mentored by Mugabe and…
Sharing notes with Togo, pwapwapwapwa, hahahaha. That’s Zambia’s level now?
AU is a club of dictators. These are the same people who want to leave the ICC so that they can continue to kill their citizens with impunity. Mugabe killed thousands of Ndebeles under Gukurahundi. Kenyatta oversaw the killing of Luos during the last election. Uganda? DRC? Nigeria? Etc. What can one learn from these thugs? How to kill more Mapenzis?
congratulation a thief,drunkard, murder…
..peace and abject poverty sizinopindrana…the sky rocketing poverty levels are a ticking time bomb….may erupt soon or later and the very AU will just be at the terraces watching…
HH doesnt like to hear such lol…am sure he is saying WTF!!
He got no time for anus Chandler articles.
“President Gnassingbe told President Lungu that his country wants to learn more from Zambia in the energy sector”…. What Togo can learn from Zambia is HOW NOT TO DO IT!
Did Lungu tell him we have 8 hours of LOAD SHEDDING every day because of an incompetent and corrupt party in Government that has been building ROADS at huge expense of BORROWED money when what Zambia really needed was ELECTRICITY to power industries and mines that are all now working well below capacity?
Did Lungu tell him that the load shedding was not because of drought, as he has often LIED to the people of Zambia, but due to cadres appointed to run ZESCO who were clueless and had no idea on what was required? And WASTED one whole year of water by spilling it out of the Kariba dam?
Or that PF…
Or that PF CANCELLED Kafue Gorge Lower as soon as they came to power in 2011? And if they had not been so stuupid there would be no LOAD SHEDDING NOW? That FOUR YEARS LATER he was singing his own praises for signing the SAME CONTRACT for Kafue, but at a price of 1 billion US Dollars MORE?
And that the price of mealie meal is HIGHER THAN EVER even after Lungu promised his “solar powered hammermills” would bring prices down?
Or that even after the Maamba coal plant and Itezitezi was commissioned LOAD SHEDDING has INCREASED??
President of Togo Faure Gnassingbe, if you want to improve your country, tell this failed lawyer thief to get lost!
The Togolese suffer from the bad neighbourhood syndrome. People in Kanyama are unlikely to admire people in Kabulonga or New Kasama, because to them that is unattainable. Instead they will admire the guy with a big house that does not leak in Chibolya compound. Togo should be learning from South Korea or Singapore, not Zambia.
The man stole the election, Jesus never stole elections or imposed his leadership on anybody. How come this humble christian stole the election. He is a servant of Lucifer not Christ. His days are numbered.
Zambia solociting investments and investors from Togo!
My friend, who is an investor?
First it was Estonia, then Poland, now Togo, lastly it will be…….
Zanis is lying. AU knows that Zambian Elections were disputed and Petitioned by the Opposition and that the Petetion has not yet been heard and disposed off. AU has not yet revealed on how to deal with the Petition. If the AU sought a legal Opinion they will be told that Lungu was inaugurated illegally and unconstitutionally. President Barrow was recognised not only becoz he was declared the Winner by IEC but becoz Barrow was legally and Constitutionally inaugurated. In Gambia a Petition does not stop the inauguration of the President Elect. In the Zambian Case a Petition filed with Concourt suspends the ECZ declaration of an Election Winner and the inauguration of the President. Additionally once the Petition is properly filed at Concourt the President Elect must step aside and allow the…
Mamamamama…imwe ba AU, do you know what you have done to UPNDonkeys by that simple factual statement. Ala mwe bantu we will not be allowed to sleep this week.
Lungu will be naive to think that the Petition is dead. Its not and very much alive. Outgoing AU Commissioner Zuma paid tribute to Ecowas and its Role in Gambia. She praised Ecowas and said Ecowas has shown the way in settling Election Disputes and in enforcing the Transfer of Power. With a largely Ecowas dominated leadership at the AU the Petition issue will be on the Agenda. AU and ECOWAS know that Lungu is playing tricks with the Petition In Court and that Lungu was illegally and unconstitutionally inaugurated. Lungu better beware . Ecowas is coming to Zambia.
Nkosazana Zuma paid tribute to Ecowas and what it has achieved in Gambia. Dr Zuma applauded Ecowas and said that Ecowas had shown the rest of Africa on how to solve Election Disputes and how to enforce the Transfer of Power. This means AU has accepted Ecowas method of solving the crisis in Gambia. In Gambia Ecowas used Diplomacy and Military might to ensure the Adherence to Constitutionalism and the enforcement of the Transfer of Power to President Adama Barrow thereby respecting and upholding the Will of the People. Illegitimate Lungu has contravened Constitutionalism in Zambia. A New Reform minded AU Leadership dominated by Ecowas members will soon ask illegitimate Lungu to demonstrate how his INAUGURATION was legal and Constitutional? This means the Petition has to be heard and…