Zambia’s strategic partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) received a major boost today following a high-level bilateral meeting between President Hakainde Hichilema and UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Shakhbout Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, at State House in Lusaka.

The engagement reaffirmed the deepening ties between the two nations, with a shared commitment to fostering mutually beneficial cooperation across key economic sectors, including mining, energy, agriculture, and tourism.

“Our government-to-government partnership continues to grow from strength to strength,” President Hichilema said in a statement following the talks. “These collaborations are aimed at unlocking tangible economic benefits, creating jobs, promoting entrepreneurship, and generating business opportunities for our people.”

President Hichilema emphasized that the relationship between Zambia and the UAE is not only rooted in investment and trade, but also in building sustainable development frameworks, particularly through human capital development.

“We highly commend the UAE’s commitment to training our public service workforce,” he added. “This aligns with our national vision to provide public services that are not only effective and efficient but also timely—breaking away from the bureaucratic inefficiencies of the past.”

The UAE has emerged as one of Zambia’s fastest-growing foreign partners, with investments already flowing into renewable energy projects and agribusiness ventures. Officials from both countries are expected to formalize additional agreements aimed at expanding cooperation in infrastructure and technology in the months ahead.

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