Zambia beacon of African liberation-Kagame

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 09:07:58 +0000

By AARON CHIYANZO

ZAMBIA has a proud place in the liberation of the African continent because of the sacrifices of its people in helping other nations regain their freedom, says visiting Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

And President Kagame has commended Zambia for embracing the industrialisation agenda and making it a reality.

The Head of State reiterated that the sacrifices the Zambian people made, in solidarity with fellow African, helped many people to regain their freedom.

He said that Africa still needed to live by what the Zambian people demonstrated to achieve dignity.

President Kagame said at a State banquet, hosted in his honour by President Edgar Lungu at State House that Zambia had a proud place in the liberation of the African continent.

“Rwanda and Zambia have a lot in common despite the distance between our two countries. We both aspire to a higher quality of life for our people, and our continent. We seek a stronger and more unified voice for Africa, on the world stage.

“For this, we need deeper ties and greater collaboration. Together, we are stronger, and can deliver . I am happy to see positive momentum in this direction, both in the African Union, and the regional economic communities,” he said.

Meanwhile, when President Kagame visited the Universal Mining and Chemical Industries (UMCL) in Kafue yesterday, he said that Rwanda and other African countries would benefit from Zambia’s growing industrialisation.

And President Edgar Lungu said that Zambia was also keen to fulfill its vast potential in agriculture in a bid to offset it’s over reliance on mining.

The President pointed out that Government was cognisant of Rwanda’s remarkable achievements in agriculture and food security.

He recapped that Zambia and Rwanda had shown strong commitment to working together to achieve progress in regional economic integration, peace, security and stability.

“I look forward to our experts sharing best practices in these fields, under the auspices of the Zambia-Rwanda joint permanent commission of cooperation.

“The bilateral relations between Zambia and Rwanda are premised on a firm foundation of mutual respect, shared values, and an unshakable commitment to democracy and development. I have no doubt that this visit will set our two countries on firm ground for enhanced cooperation,” said President Lungu.