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Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema’s meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome was significant since both sides explored ways in which Italy could contribute to accelerating Zambia’s development through sustainable alliances with Italian businesses.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema is in Italy for a two-day visit. His meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome was significant since both sides explored ways in which Italy could contribute to accelerating Zambia’s development through sustainable alliances with Italian businesses. The areas identified for cooperation included agriculture, energy, tourism, and mining.
The Zambian President delivered a message at the Confindustria Headquarters, the apex business organization of Italy for the Zambia-Italy Business Forum in Rome. Hichilema will meet with Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni as well as the chiefs of the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, during his stay.
Hakainde Hichilema, while speaking at the Italy-Zambia Business Forum, organized by Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo on the occasion of his state visit to Rome. With Italian President Mattarella, Hichilema had a working lunch at the Quirinale, in the presence of the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and international cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli. The mission will finally end with a visit to the Maccarese SpA agricultural company, considered among the largest agricultural companies in Italy, as well as one of the largest Italian businesses, whose model could be replicated in Zambia for the benefit of the population.
The business forum served to provide a platform to showcase Zambia’s investment potential and opportunities for joint venture collaborations. Zambian President invited Italian businessmen to invest in Zambia and to bring their state-of-the-art technologies. Also present at the meeting was the Italian ambassador to Lusaka, Enrico De Agostini, who read to the audience a message delivered by the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani. Italy, he said, was fully committed to establishing mutual collaborations through joint ventures and partnerships, especially in the infrastructure, agriculture, and mining sectors. Italy, he further added, was ready to contribute with its engineers and its know-how to bring solutions to support the development of the continent.
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Hichilema’s visit at the invitation of Italy’s president comes after the Italian President visits Zambia in July 2022. Mattarella’s visit to Lusaka was the second visit by an Italian since Francesco Cossiga in 1989. Cossiga met Kenneth Kaunda who was at the helm of Zambia at the time.
