President Edgar Lungu on Tuesday officially opened the AfDB annual meetings attended by Rwandese President Paul Kagame, Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta and Idriss Deby of Chad, who is also the African Union (AU) chairperson.
Mr Chikwanda, who is Finance minister, said there was need for the delegates drawn from various parts of the African continent and beyond to put in place more actions and continue to work together.
“There is need for us to put more actions and continue to work together,” Mr Chikwanda said.
He was speaking in Lusaka during a colourful AfDB annual meetings cultural gala night held at Government Complex on Thursday evening and attended by scores of delegates.
Mr Chikwanda commended the delegates for turning up in large numbers to attend the annual meetings and subsequently the cultural gala night.
Stanbic Bank Zambia managing director Charles Mudiwa, whose banking institution sponsored the gala night, said culture was important as it brought together people from different backgrounds to share cultural ideas.
He said the banking institution would remain committed to partnering with many countries to offer financial services for investment in various sectors of the economy.
Mr Mudiwa said Stanbic Bank was committed to supporting the exchange of cultural ideas and finding more solutions to economic challenges facing many African countries.
AfDB President Akinwuni Adesina was among the delegates that watched various cultural dances drawn from various parts of the county.
And AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina has assured the Africa that the institution will strive to implement all its strategies aimed at alleviating poverty on the continent.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda yesterday officially closed the 2016 annual AfDB meetings in Lusaka.
Dr Adesina said his institution was committed to ensuring that its goal of the ‘High fives’, which is part of the AfDB 10-year strategy, was implemented for the benefit of people on the continent.
He said this at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka yesterday at the closing Press briefing of the 2016 annual meetings.
The AfDB ‘High fives’ have been classified as ‘light up and power Africa’, ‘feed Africa’, ‘integrate Africa’, ‘industrialise Africa’ and ‘improve the quality of life for the people of Africa’.
“I do not want to see Africa end up as a museum of poverty because the continent has a lot of untapped potential to alleviate its people from the bondage of poverty.
“We agreed (during the just-ended meetings) that Africa lacks the technology and the financing to adopt renewable energy exclusively in the short-term, but that the bank will lead the way in encouraging renewable energy,” Dr Adesina said.
Meanwhile, Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe said there was need to strengthen investment and economic ties for Africa to achieve her desired growth.
Ms Mwanakatwe said the potential for strengthened investment and economic ties among African countries could be enhanced through meaningful contribution to growth and development of the continent.
She said this in a speech read for her by Commerce, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Raymond Mpundu during the official opening of the Zambia Investment Forum on the sidelines of the just-ended AfDB annual meetings in Lusaka.
The Investment Forum, aimed at showcasing Zambia’s investment opportunities in various sectors of the economy, was held under the theme ‘Investing in renewable energy for economic growth, job creation and a cleaner environment’.
“This forum is a suitable platform for both emerging and established companies to interact with various financiers, business developers and potential business partners,” Ms Mwanakatwe said.
The minister said the Government would continue to implement positive and forward-looking investment and economic policies to foster economic development.
She urged local and foreign investors to take advantage of Zambia’s conducive investment environment by investing in various sectors of the economy, particularly energy.
The 2016 AfDB annual meetings held under the theme ‘Energy and climate change’ were officially closed by Mr Chikwanda, who is chairperson of the AfDB Board of Governors’.
boring…. no pictures
Was it a dancing show? These pronouncements will lead nowhere, as usual…just talking, talking and talking
This Fossil Chikwanda should be winding up now..did he not say he was retiring win or lose…you are arguable the most useless Finance minister Zambia has ever had.
This old fossi,l Alex Chikwanda has no sense of shame. Chikwanda knows he was illegally presiding over these Annual Meetings after Parliament was dissolved on 11th August 2016. Chikwanda as a Senior Minister agreed to stay on illegally with Lungu’s assurances that he will be protected from prosecution becoz Lungu is assured of being re-elected thru vote rigging. If this rigging fails to deliver Presidency to Lungu then Chikwanda will be held to account for acting illegally. Chikwanda knows from 1996 Ministers have always ceased to operate after Parliament is dissolved. This old man has decided to act illegally to serve his own selfish personal interests. Shame on this old man!
These are some of the things i warned about when this meeting started.You see my point now.This Baboon was the host to this event,couldnt speak during the opening or within the meeting itself to sell Zambia.Now that all important nations have spoken,deals have been signed already,its now time to eat and thats when you hear of this monkey.Blah Blah Blah,Zambia this,Zambia that.*****! this is a gala night-meaning that its time to jst eat and relax-forget about business.And thats when our Reptile emerges out of the Zambezi river to talk about business.Where were you when others were speaking in the meeting and signing deals?
These are some of things i spoke about at the start of this high level meeting.This ***** has been quiet all this time,since the meeting started.He couldnt officiate as a host,he couldnt contribute during the meeting.He couldnt get us any deals at all.Now its time for a gala dinner,time to jst eat & relax,this is when this dinosour emerges out of the Zambezi river to talk about action & working together.At a gala event?are you serious?.You see what i was saying.I told u Zambia was jst a hired hall,by the highest bidder.There is nothing to celebrate abt this event being hosted by us.We heard other countries signed power deals,agri deals etc.What abt the host nation?-Nothing!Because we had no representative there.Chakwanda or Kalyalya were in the Audience watching the meeting from the crowd…