Lungu, who arrived in Rwanda yesterday for a two-day State Visit, made these remarks following his visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi on Wednesday.

Rwanda has to date issued warrants for 11 Genocide fugitives believed to be holed up in the Southern African nation and President Lungu told journalists that his government was committed to hunt them down to help ensure justice.

Rwanda and Zambia recently finalised an extradition treaty.

“In our country we are law abiding,” the visiting Head of State said, vowing that Zambia will not be a safe haven for Genocide suspects.

Lungu said that what happened in Rwanda in 1994 should serve as a lesson for other Africans so as to desist from divisive politics.

He also said there was need for Africans to look inward for solutions to the most pressing challenges they face.

At the memorial, President Lungu paid respects to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and laid a wreath.

President Lungu said that the visit to the memorial “reveals how the entire continent of Africa was colonised, divided, and subdued by colonisers who employed a divide-and-rule strategy.

The Zambian leader urged other African countries and peoples to learn from what happened in Rwanda and to always look to Africa for solutions to their problems, instead of waiting for answers from outside the continent.

“As Africans we have a lot to learn from here. We cannot continue to be divided anymore and we cannot continue looking to outside as Africa,” he wrote in the guest book at the memorial.

He added: “May the souls of victims of the genocide give hope to a rejuvenated Rwanda”. 

President Lungu’s visit to Rwanda follows a two-day visit to Zambia by President Paul Kagame in June last year.

 President, Lungu later on Wednesday toured the Special Economic Zone in Masoro, Gasabo District where he said that his country would seek to replicate the model.

He visited the Africa Improved Foods factory that produces fortified foods and exports, PharmaLab, and C&H garments factory.

Talking to reporters after the tour, the visiting President said that Zambia has a multi-facility economic zone which has been lying idle for a long time and they intend to revive it.

“I think this inspires us to expedite the completion of the project,” Lungu said. “With what we have seen here, we need to expedite by spending a bit more money. We didn’t have enough electricity and it was a constraint, and the roads were not done too. We’re going to invest a bit more based on the great achievements we see here,” he added.

Amir Ali, the chief executive of Africa Improved Foods, said the factory imported some maize from Zambia last year after local produce was affected by bad weather.

President Lungu called for stronger trade ties between the two countries.

“For instance, we are told there is no cotton here, but we have enough cotton back in Zambia. We also have a lot to share in terms of best practices,” he said.

Clare Akamanzi, the chief executive of Rwanda Development Board, noted that the special economic zone – which was first set up  in 2011 – was entering its third development phase. Many firms have set up plants in the area in recent years, creating many jobs and encouraging knowledge and skills transfer.

President Lungu was last evening hosted to a state banquet organised in his honour.

The two presidents are today expected to hold bilateral talks and address a joint press  conference before the end of Lungu’s two-day State Visit to Rwanda.

Vice President Inonge Wina says Zambia and the United States of America (USA) have enjoyed an excellent relationship which dates back to independence era when the US government established an embassy in the country.

Ms. Wina, who is also Acting President stated that USA has assisted Zambia in various sectors of the economy through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Vice President said this in a speech read for her by Minister of Higher Education, Nkandu Luo at the launch of the American Corner at National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) in Lusaka yesterday.

Ms. Wina noted that the American Corner is part of a larger network of over 800 public accessible American spaces worldwide with Lusaka’s Corner being the second in Zambia besides the one at Copperbelt University.

She said the American corner will provide information resources to Zambians about the United States of America through various avenues including American books, documentaries, electronic library services, education advisory services and free internet facilities.

Ms Wina stated that the corner is designed to facilitate learning of the English language, foster people to people connections, increase mutual understanding and support continued engagement with the Zambian alumni of US exchange programmes among other objectives.

Ms. Wina said she happy that the launched American Space will ignite in the minds of Zambians and those who are presiding over higher learning institutions to learn to celebrate people who have contributed to the development of the country.

She indicated that Zambia will appreciate to learn from the American experience the setting up and operation of such spaces so that the country can endeavour and explore how to enhance information sources.

Ms. Wina is also hopeful that the Corner will provide readily available information to assist enhance trade and investment between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the US Ambassador to Zambia, Daniel Foote said the American Corners help to build the bridge between the people of America and other countries.

Mr. Foote said his country is overjoyed with the entrepreneurship, democracy in governance and health programmes that are taking place in Zambia.

He noted that there is need for stronger ties between the two countries and that his country is grateful to NIPA for the partnership in putting up the American Corner at the institute.

Mr. Foote further dedicated the American Corner to Maya Angelou and declared it as Maya Angelou American Corner whom he said was the prominent American that represented the best of the values that Zambia and the US shares.

And NIPA Executive Director, Royson Mukwena said the realisation to put up a new ultra-modern library at the learning institution was meant to provide modern information on courses and services to students, staff and other end users within Lusaka.

Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya has informed Parliament that transparency and accountability are key in the use of resources released to fight cholera.

Dr Chilufya said all the funds disbursed are audited and that the Government has so far released K64 million to combat the disease which has claimed 85 lives between October 2017, and February this year from a cumulative total of 4,202 cases.

“Even if an audit is done today, no single ngwee will be found missing from the funds being used to combat th cholera epidemic, ” he said.

He said this in response to a question by Mazabuka Member of Parliament Gary Nkombo (UPND) who wanted to know how much Government has so far spent in containing the cholera epidemic.

This was after Dr Chilufya delivered a ministerial statement to update the House and nation at large on the outbreak of cholera in the country.

Dr Chilufya said the cholera outbreak is still active and if communities were allowed to accumulate garbage indiscriminately, use pit latrines that discharged human waste into nearby shallow wells which they drank from, and allowed vending of ready to eat foods in the streets, it could increase cholera cases.

He said donations from corporates and other partners are recorded in a donations register and that no money goes into the coffers of the ministry, as it is channeled directly to the fight against cholera.

Dr Chitalu Chilufya said President Edgar Lungu made a bold decision to contain cholera and so all leaders ought to follow suit.