Africa must promote intra-trade for integration-Lungu

Sat, 11 Mar 2017 13:25:44 +0000

AFRICAN countries need to promote trade amongst themselves to enhance integration, President Lungu has said.

President Lungu said Africa trades a lot with the rest of the world but very little with itself.

The head of State was speaking at State House when Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration Robert Dussey called on him yesterday.

“African countries should cooperate more in trade and share ideas on democracy and good governance,” President Lungu said.

He added that it could become easier for African countries to integrate when there was trade going on.

And President Lungu noted that Zambia and other countries on the African continent were endowed with abundant natural resources as well as mineral deposits that could add value if trade among African countries was encouraged.

He pointed out Togo as one of the countries in West
Africa where trade ties could be
enhanced.

He stated that Zambia and Togo had a lot of exchanges which Zambia could take advantage of to trade in West Africa.

President Lungu said the two countries were both members of the African Union (AU), hence trading within Africa could not be a problem.

He said the visit by Professor Dussey demonstrated the commitment between Zambia and Togo to cement the co-operation that existed between the two countries.

And Prof. Dussey disclosed that he had been sent by his President Faure Gnassingbé to come and prepare for the State visit to Zambia.

President Lungu and the Foreign Minister later held private talks at State House.

Meanwhile, special assistant to the President for press for public relations Amos Chanda told journalists that President Lungu and Prof. Dussey held fruitful closed-door talks. Mr. Chanda disclosed that the Togolese President Mr Gnassingbé would be visiting Zambia in May this year.

“The President met with the Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration and the message that he brought was that the President of Togo His Excellency Faure Gnassingbé will be visiting Zambia in May.

“The purpose of the visit is international and bilateral cooperation between the two countries. In the area of economic cooperation, Togo is a major mining country,” Mr Chanda said.

He also revealed that the Togolese President has invited President Lungu to attend the upcoming conference between selected African countries to be held in Togo.