Hakainde Hichilema made his first foreign trip as president of Zambia to the United States. The primary focus of the visit was to attend the 76th UNGA Conference where he addressed the general assemble on 21 September. Hichilema also met with US Vice-President Kamala Harris along with various US government officials.[2] Hichielma also visited Zambians living in the United States and met with the African Business Council before returning home.[3][4]
Hichilema attended the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow also known as COP26. He addressed the assembly on November 2 and throughout the conference met with various delegates on the sidelines.[5][6]
Hakainde Hichilema attended the ribbon ceremony of the second edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair 2021. He was present along with 6 other regional heads of states.[7]
Hakainde Hichilema attended the UNICEF World Children's Day celebrations held at the Kazungula Bridge in Botswana. The event was attended by the presidents of Botswana, Namibia & Zimbabwe.[8]
Hakainde Hichilema attended the DRC-Africa Business Forum held in Kinshasa. Hichilema also held bilateral talks with DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, the two presidents discussed increasing co-operations in infrastructure projects, such as developing a power pool, roads and bridges.[9][10]
Hakainde Hichilema makes his first official bilateral official visit to Malawi. Hichilema met with President Lazarus Chakwera on his one-day visit. Both leaders agreed to boost trade relations between the two countries.[11]
Hakainde Hichilema made a day trip to Malawi for the SADC Extraordinary summit. The summit primarily focused on extending the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIN) past January 15.[12]
Hakainde Hichilema made a trip to UAE to official open the Zambian National Day at Expo 2020. The president also held bilateral talks with various UAE ministers on the sidelines.[13]
Hichilema made a visit to South Africa where he met his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss bilateral trade and security agreements.[14]
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Hichilema made a visit to Ethiopia for the AU Summit. The theme of the conference was “building resilience in nutrition and food security on the African continent: strengthen agriculture, accelerate human capital, social and economic development”. He held bilateral talks with various leaders on the sidelines.[15]
Hichilema attended the Mining Indaba 2022 conference held in Cape Town. The conference is an event for investments in African mining investments and Hichilema was a keynote speaker. The president also held bilateral talks with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi.[18]
Hichilema attended the state banquet in Eswatini which was hosted by King Mswati III. The president signed two MOUs with the country in tourism and politics.[19]
Hichilema made a state visit to Kenya to meet Kenyan counter-part Uhuru Kenyatta. The leaders discussed various bilateral issues, but the primary focus of the meeting was to increase direct trade between the two nations and help eliminate trade and non-trade barriers between the two nations.[20]
Hichilema addressed the European Parliament. Among the people Hichilema met with were the President of the European Union (EU) Parliament, the EU Vice President and Commissioner for Trade, the Vice President of the EU Green Deal, and the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships.[21]
Hichilema made one day state visit to Tanzania to meet his counterpart President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Various MOUs were signed. Both presidents held talks to upgrade the TAZARA Railway to Standard-gauge railway status and to revamp the Tazama Pipeline. Other topics included transit cargo, defense, agriculture, trade and mining.[23]
Hichilema attended the 77th UNGA meeting in New York City where he addressed the general debate.[25] On the sidelines of the summit, the president held talks with:
The president, also met various Zambians in diaspora, attended the US-Africa Business Forum and attended the presidential dinner hosted by US president Joe Biden.[33]
Hichilema made two day state visit to Namibia to attended the keynote address at the Swakopmund International Trade Expo - SWAiTEX. The president was invited by Namibia President Hage Geingob. After attending the trade expo, the duo also attended the Zambia-Namibia Business Seminar.[34]
Hichilema attended the COP27 conference held in Egypt. He met with several African leaders on the sidelines of the summit and signed an MOU with the European Union on forestry projects.[36]
Hichilema attended the US-Africa Summit hosted by President Joe Biden.[37] At the visit, Hichilema announced that would invest $150m in the Mingomba copper-cobalt mine in Zambia.[38]
Hakainde Hichilema makes his first official bilateral official visit to Angola. Hichilema met with President João Lourenço.[39] The two countries signed many MoUs in road, rail, oil and electricity infrastructure to increase trade between the two countries. Hichilema also addressed the Angolan parliament. Following the events in Luanda, the president went to Lobito to explore infrastructure in the city.[40]
Hakainde Hichilema visits Abu Dhabi to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Conference. Zambia and the UAE signed many MoUs mainly in the Energy and Finance sectors. On the last day of the visit, Hichilema signed a $2bn finance deal with the UAE for the development of Solar farms in the country.[41][42]
Hichilema along with 18 various African leaders attended the Feed Africa Dakar 2 Summit. Hichilema was a keynote speaker on mobilizing cheaper capital for Agriculture projects. The summit hosted by the African Development Bank pledged to increase its investment in continental food production.[43]
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Hichilema made a visit to Ethiopia for the AU Summit. The theme of the conference was “The Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation.” He held bilateral talks with various leaders on the sidelines.[45]
At the LDC5 conference, where Hichilema was present, a revitalized collaboration between LDCs and their development partners was agreed upon in order to address structural issues, reduce poverty, accomplish internationally recognized development goals, and enable LDCs to leave the LDC category. He held bilateral talks with various leaders on the sidelines including António Guterres, King Mswati III, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.[46][47]
Hichilema undertook a state visit to Mozambique to bolster ties and enhance trade between the two nations. Discussions with Filipe Nyusi, the President of Mozambique, during the visit centered around strengthening cooperation in areas such as defense and security, transport and communications, industry and trade, mining, and agriculture. The Mayor of Maputo, Eneas Comiche, awarded Hichilema with the "Freedom of the City" and presented him with the Key to the City.[48]
The theme of the sixth Transform Africa Summit was "Connect, Transform and Innovate," with a particular emphasis on rules and regulations, funding for digital infrastructure, capacity building and skill development, and digital continental commerce.[49]
Hichilema took part, on 5 May 2023, in a Commonwealth Heads of State and Government pre-coronation summit where King Charles III, the new Commonwealth Head was present. On 6 May 2023, he attended the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[50] During the coronation event, Hichilema held bilateral meetings with various members of the community:
After the summit, Hichilema headed towards Scotland at the invitation of Heriot-Watt University and the first minister Humza Yousaf. Hichilema spoke to a wider audience to encourage trade & investment support from Scotland to encourage joint ventures.[53]
The meeting's discussion centered on potential for trade and investment between Zambia and France as well as problems with debt relief. The Paris Club of Creditors and the G20, which have been addressing Zambia's debt problem under the Common Debt Treatment Framework, include France as a major participant in the debt restructuring program for Zambia.[54]
Upon returning to London from Paris, Hichilema went to the Invest Africa-hosted Zambia Investment Forum, The Africa Debate and attended various meetings on the sidelines.[55][56] Hichilema also met James Cleverly the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.[57]
Hichilema held talks with Polish president Andrzej Duda, Bilateral talks were centered around education and technology. The visit was right before Hichilema and various other African leaders began their African Peace Initiative Mission to Ukraine and the Russian Federation regarding cooperation to resolve the Russo-Ukrainian War.[58]
Hichilema traveled to Bucha as part of the African Peace Initiative Mission together with other African Heads of State and high-ranking officials from the Comoro Islands, the Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda.[59] The delegation subsequently visited Kyiv for a meeting with Zelenskyy. Two items on the agenda were to find a peaceful solution to an end to the war and the continued flow of grain from Ukraine to the global south. Zelenskyy denied to have any negotiations unless Russia entirely withdrew its forces from Ukraine.[60] The trip received a mix of reaction from the global community due to the poor track record of the African Union's ability to resolve conflicts in Africa.[61]
As part of the African Peace Initiative Mission to address the situation between Russia and Ukraine, Hichilema along with three other African Heads of State and three high level government officials from three other African countries met with Putin. The initiative aimed to encourage communication and amicable negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.[62] After a largely unsuccessful visit to Ukraine, Russia and Putin showed little to no interest to negotiate terms.[63]
Hichilema made his first state visit to Rwanda per the invitation of Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame as a reciprocal visit Following Kagame's state visit to Zambia in April 2022. The two-day state visit by Hichilema to Rwanda began in Kigali at the invitation of Paul Kagame. Both leaders discussed bilateral relations in the matters of trade, agriculture and extradition of Rwandan genocide fugatives.[64] Also part of the trip Hichilema visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, Kigali House and the Kigali Special Economic Zone. On the 21st of June, Hichilema also attended the Inclusive FinTech Forum where he was a keynote speaker.[65]
Hichilema attended the New Global Financing Pact summit. The summit was focused on new multi-lateral financing for countries, especially with regards to climate change. On the sidelines of the summit, Hichilema and his team were able to negotiate a debt restructuring deal for Zambia's external debt worth $6.3bn with its creditors.[66][67]
Hichilema made a day trip to Lobito where he attended the ceremony of the commencement of the concession of railway services and support logistics of the Lobito Corridor to the Lobito Atlantic Railway Company. The concession agreement covers the entire Lobito to Kolwezi line and any extensions into Zambia. The ceremony was also attended by Angolan president João Lourenço and DRC president Félix Tshisekedi.[68]
Hichilema made his first bilateral state visit to West Africa to Ghana. During Hichilema's three-day state visit, 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Ghana and Zambia were signed. Trade and investment, tourism, the arts, and culture, as well as science, technology, and innovation, were all covered by the agreements.[69] Hichilema was also awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Valley View University.[70]
Hichilema embarked on his bilateral state visit to the Middle East, to Israel. During this momentous occasion, he had the privilege of meeting with Israeli PresidentIsaac Herzog and Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu. The discussions with the president centered on exploring further avenues to strengthen trade and cooperation between their respective nations. During the meeting with Netanyahu, they engaged in fruitful discussions to explore numerous ways to enhance the relations between their countries for the mutual benefit of their citizens.
Hichilema made his first state visit to China where we met with President Xi Jinping. He toured the country across 6 days meeting various business leaders in various industries to encourage them to invest in Zambia. Debt servicing and mining MoUs were the main discussion points between both countries.[72]
Hichilema attended the inauguration of newly refurbished port of Nacala in Mozambique. Presidents of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi and Malawi Lazarus Chakwera both attended the event and witnessed the signing of the Nacala Corridor Development Agreements (NDA).[73]
Hakainde Hichilema attended the Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to hold talks on strengthening peace and security in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).[75]
President Hakainde Hichilema engaged in bilateral discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the 5th G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) Summit in Berlin. The talks, held on the sidelines of the summit, focused on enhancing cooperation between Zambia and Germany. The leaders explored possibilities for German involvement in infrastructure projects and discussed the promotion of German business investments in value addition within Zambia's agriculture sector.[77]
Hichilema made a state visit to Italy after concluding the 5th G20 summit in Germany. He met with Italian president Sergio Mattarella. Both leaders held bilateral talks and presided over the Zambia-Italy business forum. On the last day of the visit, Hichilema paid a visit to the Maccarese Farm outside of Rome and invited the company to set up a similar operation in Zambia.[78][79]
On Sunday, February 18, Hichilema along with Samia Suluhu and other regional leaders were present during the unveiling of a new statue of the former Tanzanian President the Late Julius Nyerere at the African Union.[85]
Hichilema attended the 60th anniversary of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar. He held bilateral talks with president Samia Suluhu Hassan on the sidelines.[87]
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Rwanda
Tanzania
Namibia
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Egypt
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