ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — President Hakainde Hichilema has held a series of high-level meetings on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) Summit, focusing on strengthening economic ties and fostering regional cooperation.
At the National Palace, President Hichilema met with His Excellency Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Their discussions centered on bolstering trade and investment relations between the two nations, highlighting opportunities for deeper economic collaboration.
In a separate bilateral meeting, President Hichilema conferred with His Excellency Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and his delegation. Prime Minister Madbouly provided insights on Zambia’s upcoming State visit to Egypt, reinforcing the historical ties between the two nations that date back to the pre-independence era. The leaders expressed commitment to exploring new avenues for cooperation.
Additionally, President Hichilema met with a delegation from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), led by its President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Professor Benedict Okey Oramah, alongside Mr. Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group. The discussions emphasized Afreximbank’s crucial role in promoting intra-African trade and supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The President commended Afreximbank for its Pan-African mandate and lauded Dangote Group’s contributions to trade integration across the continent. He underscored the need for strategic initiatives to boost intra-African trade, given the continent’s comparatively low levels of internal commerce.
President Hichilema also attended the Presidential Breakfast Meeting on the establishment of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) at the African Union headquarters. The initiative aims to create an independent, African-owned credit rating agency to enhance the continent’s credibility in global financial markets. The President stressed that Africa’s economic outlook and sovereign balance sheets should be evaluated by an agency that prioritizes long-term African interests, addressing structural biases in existing global rating systems.
He emphasized that once operational, AfCRA should influence the methodologies of international rating agencies to ensure more equitable credit risk assessments for Africa. The agency’s establishment is expected to improve access to competitive investment opportunities and bolster Africa’s financial sovereignty.
Bilateral meeting after bilateral meeting; we need to start seeing results of the same on the ground.
High level nonsense….we failing even to keep our cities clean….filthy and unsanitary living conditions all over Zambia…..just wasting tax payers money attending nonsensical gathering
You can’t even power your own country.
HH is the king of loadshedding.
High level meetings? The opposite is true. All the persons he met were below him because none is a head of state. How do you have a high level meeting when you meet your juniors? It’s the gentlemen he met will go back to report to their superiors about their meeting with the President of Zambia. Kuwayawayafye
This is too complicated for the tribal supremacists haters ………..
They don’t understand such ,………..
as long as there is no dancing, mention of free handouts and slogans,………..
this is just too complicated and rubbish to them……….
Zambia is now at the highest table of economic discussions and planning……….
We are here
FWD2031