The Head of State arrived in at Harry Mwanga Nkumbula Airport in Zambia on Monday 4th April 2022 where he was received by his counterpart, Hakainde Hichilema upon arrival.
Hichilema has via Twitter handle extended a warm welcome to his counterpart of Rwanda on the state visit.
The two Heads of State are expected to hold bilateral talks before proceeding for a tour at the Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls.
The two Presidents will then proceed to Sundowner where they are expected to have state dinner aboard the train.
On Tuesday, April 5, President Kagame, President Hichilema are expected to tour the Mukuni Big Five Safaris, the Mosi-o- Tunya National Park, and then proceed to the One Stop Border Post and Kazungula Bridge.
Ahead of the visit, Lusaka Times has reported, Zambian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Stanley Kakubo has explained that the two Heads of State are scheduled to hold bilateral talks that will focus on matters of mutual interest at bilateral, regional and international levels.
He said the bilateral talks will be followed by the signing of seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Zambia and Rwanda in various sectors.
Kakubo said this will promote the consolidation of bilateral ties between the two countries.
The minister said that Zambia and Rwanda share longstanding bilateral relations which are anchored on shared values and mutual respect.
“The two countries have continued to strengthen bilateral ties through the exchange of high level visits as well as the establishment of the Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) which is aimed at reviewing and strengthening cooperation in areas including; foreign relations, trade and industry, tourism, agriculture, sport, science and technology, information and communication technology, research and development, and gender, among others,” he explained.
He added that Zambia and Rwanda collaborate at regional, continental and international levels through the joint membership at the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
Mr. Kakubo further said President Hakainde Hichilema has emphasised the need to leverage the opportunities for intra-African trade, investment and tourism to ensure the resilience of economies and industries.
“Therefore, the visit will provide an opportunity to share best practices in areas targeted for progress. This is an important part of the government’s approach, which places great value on working openly and collaboratively with a range of partners to unlock new opportunities for the country and its citizens. The government is working to deliver a more conducive environment for local businesses to flourish and create jobs,” added Mr. Kakubo.
Mr. Kakubo said President Hichilema’s administration is keen to emulate Rwanda’s success in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) as it pursues universal and affordable internet coverage for Zambians.
He pointed out that in tourism, Rwanda has effectively positioned itself as an international business destination through its intensive marketing efforts.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation added that and Zambia remains open to creating synergies in the tourism sector.
“To this end, His Excellency President Kagame’s visit is expected to reinforce the bilateral relations, and further strengthen partnerships and cooperation at multilateral level in the furtherance of common development aspirations, based on mutual benefit for the people in the two countries,” he said.
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