29/07/2025
# Elsewedyelectric
Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Mulambo Haimbe, SC, MP, disclosed that President Hakainde Hichilemaโs recent State visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt attracted private investment pledges of close to US$500 million towards setting up two 100MW solar plants in Kafue and Mongu by 2026 and other energy related projects in the country.
Hon. Haimbe said this when he delivered a ministerial statement in Parliament on the State visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt undertaken by the President to that country.
Here are the highlights:
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President Hichilema undertook a State Visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt from 23rd to 25th February, 2025, at the invitation of His Excellency Mr. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
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The visit underscored Zambiaโs commitment to deepening its bilateral and multilateral engagements in line with the aspirations of the 8th National Development Plan (8NDP), Vision 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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The two Heads of State committed themselves to:
i. Deepen mutual support in multilateral fora including the AU and COMESA.
ii. Advocate jointly on African priorities such as climate financing, poverty reduction and the restructuring of global debt architecture.
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The leaders further called for institutionalising dialogue through the establishment of structured Political Consultations, to be held at Ministerial and Senior Officials level on an annual basis.
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Five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed:
i. Establishment of Political Consultations;
ii. Cooperation in Agriculture;
iii. Cooperation in Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Matters;
iv. Cooperation in Livestock Development; and
v. Technical Cooperation on Re-development of Urban Towns and Sub- Centres in Zambia.
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Additionally, during the Zambia-Egypt Business Forum, four infrastructure- focused MoUs were signed, aimed at the construction of critical transport corridors and bridges to unlock trade routes under the Lobito Corridor and beyond.
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The visit further attracted private investment pledges of close to US$500 million, targeting:
i. A joint venture with Toyota Tsusho and Elsewedy Electric to establish two 100MW solar plants in Kafue and Mongu by 2026.
ii. Scale-up of the existing ZESCO-Elsewedy partnership for local manufacturing of transformers and prepaid meters, targeting at least 40% local subcontracting to build Zambian SME capacity.
iii. Participation of Arab Contractors in strategic bridge and road infrastructure, with explicit provisions for technology transfer and local skills development.
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The delegation held technical discussions with Egyptโs Agriculture Research Centre and Veterinary Serum and Vaccine Research Institute, focusing on:
i. Vaccine production for diseases such as FMD, CBPP, Newcastle and Anthrax, with joint research programmes to be rolled out by first quarter of 2026.
ii. Support to Zambiaโs smart agriculture ambitions through training in biotechnology, irrigation technologies, and climate-resilient practices.
iii. Capacity building arrangements and scholarships under the Egyptian International Centre for Agriculture, targeting at least 50 Zambian professionals over the next three years.
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The delegation from the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock also explored collaboration with Egyptโs Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research on genetic improvement and disease management in aquaculture.
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Recognising that water is critical to Zambia's agricultural and industrial aspirations, Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation held bilateral discussions with the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and areas of agreed cooperation include:
i. Water harvesting, recycling and desalination;
ii. Management of non-revenue water;
iii. Maintenance of irrigation infrastructure.
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An MoU on Water Cooperation is expected to be finalised by end of 2025, supporting Zambiaโs SDG 6 commitments
