President Hakainde Hichilema has reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) agenda for peace, security and stability as key components in fostering economic development.
President Hichilema says there is a need for Zambia and Mozambique to prioritise peace, security and stability even as the two Countries focus on joint trade and investment.
That the Head of State said this when he held bilateral talks with his visiting Mozambique counterpart, Daniel Francisco Chapo.
President Hichilema has also emphasised the need for the two countries to continue working together on strategic infrastructure projects, such as the Nacala and Beira corridors, and getting the oil pipeline from Mozambique into Ndola.
He has further expressed gratitude to Mozambique for supporting Zambia with electricity, during the country’s struggle with energy crisis, resulting from the 2023-2024 drought.
“Without your support, our economy would have shut down because of our mining agenda and also our infrastructure needs a lot of energy, so we need to move quickly in that area”, the Head of State indicated.
President Hichilema has also called for a holistic approach in addressing the challenges of climate change not just between the two countries but the region at large.
He acknowledged long standing relations and interdependence between the two Countries through shared borders resulting in joint ownership of assets, stressing the need to protect them.
President Hichilema added that the bilateral relationship shared by the two countries is therefore beyond just political but also economic ties, stressing the need for continued intergovernmental interactions to ease economic collaboration.
And President of Mozambique, Daniel Francisco Chapo has disclosed that the two nations are working towards a One Stop Border Post, starting with Cassacatiza and Chanida.
Mr Chapo noted that this will improve trade in both countries which will therefore improve the economies of both countries.
He has also acknowledged the importance of the two countries collaborating to improve infrastructure, such as the road network, connection of the Nacala corridor to Chipata and ultimately the Lobito corridor for regional benefit.
Mr Chapo also affirmed his commitment to improving peace and stability in his country, through dialogue, in order to create an enabling environment for development to flourish.
He has since thanked Zambia for its solidarity in his country’s efforts to restore peace and security.
Meanwhile, Mr Chapo thanked the people of Zambia for contributing to his country’s liberation, further revealing that Mozambique has set a public holiday dubbed the “Lusaka Cord”, in memory of the signing of a Cord in the Zambian capital city that ended colonialism.
“Zambia is the cradle of our independence and the city of Lusaka is a very special city for the population of Mozambique. From primary school, the children of Mozambique learn about the Lusaka Cord”, he narrated.
The two Heads of State later witnessed the signing of a bilateral agreement between the two countries, by the Ministers of Transport and Logistics, for Zambia’s Frank Tayali and Mozambique’s Joao Matlombe.
