DRC President to undertake official visit to Zambia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced that Democratic Republic of Congo president Félix Tshisekedi will undertake an official visit to Zambia on Friday 29th April, 2022.

During the visit, President Hakainde Hichilema, and his counterpart President Tshisekedi are scheduled to preside over the official signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement between the two countries.

 Foreign Affairs And International Cooperation Minister Stanely Kakubo says this landmark cooperation agreement stems from the multi-stakeholder DRC-Africa business forum hosted by President Tshisekedi from 24th to 25th November, 2021, where President Hichilema delivered a keynote address. 

Mr. Kakubo says the two leaders acknowledged the need to identify opportunities and facilitating investments to increase Africa’s share of the battery, electric vehicles and renewable energy value chain. 

 He says President Hichilema and President Tshisekedi therefore agreed to launch a joint Zambia-DRC battery precursor initiative, whose vision is to create a competitive electric vehicle battery value chain aimed towards sustainable development and inclusive growth, through the production of battery precursors.

 Mr. Kakubo says President Hichilema has underscored the need for Zambia to enhance cooperation with the democratic republic of Congo for mutual benefit and it is hoped that this visit by President Tshisekedi will further strengthen the existing bilateral ties between the two countries.

The Zambia-DRC initiative is in line with the country’s development aspirations to bring about a more diversified and industrialized economy which will contribute towards job creation and the improvement of the Zambian people’s livelihoods, among others. 

 The Republic of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo share strong historical bilateral ties and a common border and the two countries actively cooperate in social, political, and economic areas, within the framework of the joint permanent commission of cooperation. 

 President Tshisekedi is expected to depart Lusaka after his engagements.