Germany President visits Zambia

By Kalata News,

 

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will pay a state visit to the Republic of Zambia from 1 to 3 November.

 

A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state of one country to the head of state of another country. A state visit is the highest level of international visit, and its purpose is to confirm the good relationship between the countries concerned.

 

In the capital Lusaka, President Steinmeier will meet President Hakainde Hichilema for political talks and speak to representatives of Zambian civil society.

 

On the second day of his visit, the Federal President will first visit the Fountain Gate Crafts & Trades School, a vocational college in which the Chamber of Skilled Crafts of Frankfurt-Rhine-Main is involved.

 

The state visit to Zambia will be the first time a German Federal President visits the country. Prior to his trip to Zambia, the Federal President will spend time in the United Republic of Tanzania.

 

In his programme, the Federal President will hold talks with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and thereafter expected to participate in a joint press briefing discussing his trip. In the same day he has talks with members of the Zambian civic organisations.

 

The following day he flies to Livingstone town where he will tour several places of interest including the famous Victoria Falls, the water extraction plant of the Southern Water and Sanitation company on the Zambezi River and the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.

 

The Federal President will then witness the signing of a financing agreement between Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Development Bank and the Zambian Water Authority. KfW has been helping the German Federal Government to achieve its goals in development policy and international development cooperation for more than 60 years.

 

President Steinmeier will also set aside time to meet with representatives of the government and NGOs on wildlife protection, biodiversity and sustainable tourism before flying back to Berlin the same evening.

 

The Federal Republic of Germany has maintained diplomatic relations with Zambia since the latter gained independence on 24 October 1964.

 

In 2021, German imports from Zambia were worth 74.9 million euro. In the same year, German exports to Zambia totalled some 43.5 million euro. Business delegations visit The current Germany ambassador to Zambia is Anne Wagner-Mitchell.

 

According Wagner-Mitchel, German Ambassador to Zambia and Special Representative to COMESA, the Zambian and the German governments have agreed to concentrate their efforts in development cooperation on the two priority areas namely “Water and Sanitation” and “Good Governance” embracing “Decentralization” and “Civil Society Participation”.  She says “renewable energy, agriculture and wildlife protection are other sectors of our engagement.”

 

Zambia regularly, for example representatives from the agricultural sector attending the annual Agritech trade fair in which 18 German exhibitors took part in April 2023. The country is very interested in German products, particularly machinery, vehicles, chemical products, as well as measurement, control and biometric technology, and holds them in high regard.

 

Zambia is a key partner country of German development cooperation. The main aims of German-Zambian development cooperation are to reduce poverty, promote good governance and improve social and political conditions. Human rights protection, gender equality, HIV/AIDS prevention, and environmental and resource protection are cross-cutting sectors in all priority areas of this cooperation.

 

The German Government also supports the work of several NGOs and private-sector organisations in Zambia. The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has an office in Lusaka and conducts socio-political measures in the country.

 

Germany’s cultural cooperation with Zambia focuses on sport (including donations of equipment), as well as on information trips and training courses for Zambian politicians, officials, cultural workers and journalists to or in Germany.