Current African Leaders’ Goal Is Economic Development – President Hichilema

President Hakainde Hichilema says the task for the current generation of leaders in Africa is to focus on delivering economic development in their respective countries. President Hichilema said this in a toast statement at the State banquet held in honour of Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo at Hotel InterContinental in Lusaka this evening.

The President thanked his Mozambican counterpart for finding time to visit Zambia, particularly now when the country is celebrating its 61st independence anniversary. President Hichilema said now is the ideal time to deepen the people-to-people partnership among Zambians and Mozambicans. “We agreed that we will work together on the transport corridors such as the Nacala and Beira. We also want to work together on energy. We want to now look at how we can develop more electricity generation together.

“We want to see Mozambicans investing in Zambia and Zambians investing in Mozambique. Then we can bring others to lay on what the two of us are able to do together,” President Hichilema said.

He added that this is the era of economic expansion in individual African countries but also in the southern African region. “Our freedom fighters gave us political independence. Our duty is to deliver economic growth and more growth for jobs, business opportunities and for treasury incomes so that we can support our populations to better their lives in Zambia, Mozambique, in the SADC region and on the African continent.

“The current generation of leaders have to focus on economic development. That’s the best way of remembering those on whose shoulders we are standing. What can we say to them that we have been able to add to their achievements? It is the issues of investment and trade,” said President Hichilema.

In a reciprocal toast statement, President Chapo said the concern of Mozambique and Zambia is to spearhead economic development to create better living conditions for people in the two neighbouring countries. “We have signed agreements to accelerate investments either in Mozambique or in Zambia, in agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, development corridors, energy, industries to create employment, especially for youth and women. We have to generate wealth for our people. This is our goal. Therefore, we will continue to work together, investing more in energy,” said President Chapo.