PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA TO UNDERTAKE OFFICIAL VISIT TO KENYA
Press Statement:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation wishes to inform the nation that Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia will embark on an Official Visit to Kenya at the invitation of His Excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, to attend the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit, which is scheduled for 9th May 2024.
President Hichilema will engage with other African Heads of State and Government, along with high-ranking Government officials, senior policymakers and development partners at this important meeting. The Summit serves as a platform to assess soil health across Africa and deliberate on innovative policies, financing mechanisms, and investments geared toward boosting agricultural productivity. The Summit will aim to highlight the crucial role of fertilizer and soil health in stimulating sustainable pro-poor productivity growth in African agriculture, and to forge consensus on an African Fertiliser and Soil Health Action Plan.
The Summit will be preceded by an Experts Session and a Joint Ministerial Session for Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Agriculture on 7th and 8th May 2024, respectively. These sessions will offer an opportunity for experts and policymakers to delve into key topics and prepare recommendations for discussion during the main Summit.
The decision to convene the Summit was endorsed by the 40th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February 2022.
The convening of the Summit is timely and aligns seamlessly with Zambia’s ambitious Economic Transformation Agenda. President Hichilema’s participation in this meeting is therefore crucial in order to shore up the Government’s ongoing efforts to create opportunities for joint ventures and partnerships in the Agriculture sector, which serves as a primary source of livelihood for the majority of Zambian citizens.
Additionally, the Government remains committed to attracting investments in climate-smart agriculture in order to bolster food security, enhance livelihood resilience, and mitigate the detrimental impacts of climate change.
On the margins of the Summit, the President is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders and heads of key international organisations, leveraging the opportunity to discuss pressing regional and global issues.
The President is expected to return to Zambia immediately after his engagements.
Hon. Mulambo Haimbe, SC, M.P
ACTING MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
7th May, 2024