Did we build the Kenneth Kaunda International Conference Centre for 13 Heads of State?
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
Here is the answer.
At the time Zambia was awarded the opportunity to host the 2022 July Summit, the African Union used to hold two full Heads of State Summits a year…the February and July Summits.
It is for this reason that we went to scout for resources to build an ultra-modern facility capable of hosting the 55 Heads of State Meeting by 2022. China Aid came to the rescue.
However, in 2019, owing to the extensive African Union reforms being carried since 2017, a decision was made to turn the July Summit into a scaled down Coordination Meeting.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting was conceptualized as the principal forum for the African Union and Regional Economic Communiities (RECs) to align their work and coordinate the implementation of the continental integration agenda, replacing the June/July summits.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting comprises Heads of State from Africa’s eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the five members of the Bureau of Heads of State bringing the total to 13.
So the first casualty was the July Summit scheduled for Nihamey, Niger in 2019.
So Niger hosted the 1st Mid-Year Coordination Meeting.
However to attract the Heads of State from all the members states, the meeting was saved with the hosting of an Extraordinary Summit to adopt the AfCFTA Protocal.
Both the 2nd and 3rd Mid-Year Coordination Meetings in 2020 and 2021 (partially hybrid) were virtual as a result of the pandemic crisis and were held from Addis Ababa.
So although at the time of the award, Zambia anticipated a full flegded Summit, Zambia is now hosting, instead of the July Summit, the 4th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in its New changed format.
But there is a bonus, preceding the Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, Zambia is hosting the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, an organ that brings together Foreign Affairs Ministers from all the 55 member states.