The President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met the Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema at the Al-Ittihadiya palace in Cairo. The meeting commenced with an official reception, including the playing of national anthems and an inspection of the guard of honor.
The two leaders engaged in bilateral discussions followed by an expanded meeting with their accompanying delegation. In a joint press conference that followed, President El-Sisi expressed his satisfaction and appreciation of the profound historical relations shared between the countries, that symbolises the essence of African integration and solidarity. The leaders held constructive dialogue with each other and confirmed their shared political to develop closer bilateral relations between the two nations in the domain of political, economic, social, and development. Steered by this aspiration, the President of Egypt and President of Zambia have collaborated on enhancing the contractual frameworks between the countries in the areas of political consultation, promotion of mutual investments, agriculture, aquaculture, and infrastructure. The leaders also discussed investment opportunities in the vital Lobito Corridor project as part of the efforts to stimulate engagement of the Egyptian public and private sectors in an array of investment activities in Zambia. With this move, the nations could unlock new avenues for cooperation between the two countries’ business communities and capitalise on the Egyptian-Zambian Forum, held jointly with the Zambian President visit.
Thereafter, President El Sisi and President Hichilema attended the signing ceremony of memoranda of understanding aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation in many domains. The MoU was signed in the domain of political consultation, agricultural, agricultural quarantine, plant health, aquaculture, fisheries and infrastructure. Furthermore, the leaders also reinforced the importance of reforming the continental organisations to boost their capabilities so that they could better address the contemporary challenges and serve the interests of its peoples. They emphasised the crucial need to utilize continental frameworks of organisations such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), to bolster regional integration amongst the African Countries.
Conclusion
All in all, President El-Sisi expressed Egypt’s readiness to share its developmental expertise and provide support to Zambia. He emphasised the importance of leveraging both nations’ capacities to achieve mutual aspirations and highlighted potential investment opportunities.
This meeting underscored the deepening bilateral relations between Egypt and Zambia, focusing on a collaborative approach to drive economic growth and development in both the countries.
