Hichilema urges Switzerland to invest beyond copper in Zambia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Mail
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema is calling on Switzerland to expand trade and investment in Zambia beyond traditional minerals, particularly copper. He also praised Swiss support for debt restructuring and called for partnerships that create jobs during a meeting with a delegation of Swiss businesses, reports the Daily Mail.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has called on Switzerland to increase investment and trade with Zambia beyond traditional minerals such as copper. He was speaking at a meeting in Lusaka with a delegation of Swiss businesses led by Hélène Artieda, State Secretary and Director of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, reports the Daily Mail.
Hichilema wants partnerships with Swiss companies to promote technology transfer, job creation and local processing of resources. He also called for a comprehensive economic partnership framework between the two countries. Artieda said Switzerland supported the government’s Grow Zambia agenda, its economic programme, and that Swiss companies were ready to explore opportunities for cooperation in emerging sectors.
The president thanked Switzerland for its support for Zambia’s debt restructuring. He said the country now intended to prioritise accelerating growth after a period of economic recovery and fiscal consolidation.
The meeting came a day after the publication of a report showing more than 20 billion dollars in trade and investment between the two countries. Hichilema had previously called on the United Kingdom to invest in key Zambian sectors on 3 October, in an appeal for British investment.
