CHIPO FRONTS TRAFIGURA AT STATE HOUSE
….Swiss economic mission plugs into ‘Grow Zambia’ vision, pledging pipeline investments, Puma expansion
By DAVID KANDUZA
CHIPO Mwanawasa made a notable return to State House, this time anchoring a heavyweight Swiss business delegation aiming to supercharge Zambia’s economic engine.
Acting in her capacity as an executive for global commodities giant Trafigura, Ms Mwanawasa joined the Swiss Economic Mission to Zambia.
The high-level delegation, led by State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) director Helene Budliger Artieda, met with President Hakainde Hichilema to map out a new era of commercial partnership under the banner of the ‘Grow Zambia Agenda’ vision.
The meeting carried deep historical weight.
President Hichilema highlighted the enduring, 60-year relationship between Switzerland and Zambia—a bilateral bond quietly backed by staggering numbers.
Zambian trade records reflected more than US$20 billion in commerce flowing from Zambia to Switzerland over the last six decades, largely driven by the Swiss nation’s role as a global hub for metals trading.
For Ms Mwanawasa, the homecoming to the halls of State power was personal and professional.
“Pleased to have represented Trafigura, alongside James Josling, head of Africa, as we reaffirmed our long-term commitment to the country,” she expressed, noting her pride in aligning corporate strategy with national advancement.
Ms Mwanawasa laid out Trafigura’s aggressive three-pronged roadmap designed to anchor itself in Zambia’s future with fuelling the three-million-tonne copper target and positioning its trading weight and supply chain logistics to back Zambia’s ambitious national goal of producing three million tonnes of copper annually by 2031.
She said the firm would also strengthen Zambia’s energy security through direct investments in critical pipelines and interconnectors, addressing regional energy bottlenecks.
Ms Mwanawasa said Trafigura had pledged to aggressively grow and invest in fuel retailer Puma Energy Zambia—which was publicly listed on the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE)—alongside Sevara Logistics.
The atmosphere at State House was one of intense economic ambition, signaling that Switzerland intends to remain a primary destination for Zambian copper, while actively fueling the infrastructure needed to extract and move it.