Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia visited India on a State Visit at the invitation of Hon’ble President Shri Ram Nath Kovind from 20-22 August 2019. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Joseph Malanji; Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry, Mr. Christopher Yaluma; Minister for Mines and Mineral Development Mr. Richard Musukwa; Presidential Affairs Minister, Mr. Freedom Sikazwe and senior Government officials. It was the first visit at the level of Head of State from Africa after formation of the new Government and the first-ever visit of President Lungu to India.
Guard of HonourÂ
President of Zambia, Edgar Chagwa Lungu was accorded a Guard of Honour on his arrival to India. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed him at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) signed
6 MoUs were exchanged between India and Zambia in the following fields:
| Name of the MoU | Exchanged on the Zambian side by | Exchanged on the Indian side by |
| MoU on Cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral Resources | Hon. Richard Musukwa, Minister of Mines and Minerals Resources | Shri Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coals and Mines |
| MoU on cooperation in the field of Defence | Hon. Joseph Malanji, Minister of Foreign Affairs | Shri V. Muraleedharan, MOS in the Ministry of External Affairs |
| MoU on cooperation in the field of Arts & Culture | Hon. Joseph Malanji, Minister of Foreign Affairs | Shri V. Muraleedharan, MOS in the Ministry of External Affairs |
| MoU between Foreign Service Institute of India and Zambian Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies | Hon. Joseph Malanji, Minister of Foreign Affairs | Shri V. Muraleedharan, MOS in the Ministry of External Affairs |
| MoU on EVBAB Network Project | Hon. Joseph Malanji, Minister of Foreign Affairs | Shri V. Muraleedharan, MOS in the Ministry of External Affairs |
| MoU between Election Commission of India and Electoral Commission of Zambia | Hon. Justice Esau Chulu, Chairperson, Electoral Commission of Zambia | Shri V. Muraleedharan, MOS in the Ministry of External Affairs |
India- Zambia Business Forum 2019
President Lungu participated in an India- Zambia Business Forum 2019 which was held in New Delhi.
Zambia seeks investments from India in various sectors
i.Zambia President Edgar Chagwa Lungu sought investments from India in various sectors including agriculture, information and communications technology (ICT), and manufacturing with a view to increase economic ties between the nations. There is huge potential in areas including agriculture, agro-processing, tourism, construction, and manufacturing.
ii.At the business session organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Zambian Trade Minister Christopher Yaluma assured that Indian investments would be fully protected in his country.
iii.The two-way trade between the countries increased to $830 million in 2018-19 from $769 million in 2017-18.
iv.The current bilateral trade between the countries is quite moderate.
Development cooperation is key pillar of India-Zambia partnership: President Kovind
The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind received the Zambian President Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and also hosted a banquet in his honor. In his addresses, president pointed out the following points:
i.Development cooperation is a key pillar of India-Zambia partnership.
ii.Indian Companies are looking at new investment opportunities in the mining, health, infrastructure and energy sectors.
iii.India’s tele-education and telemedicine expertise would create new opportunities for the youth in Zambia.
Bilateral Meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
i.Prime Minister Narendra Modi held delegation-level talks with President of Zambia Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
ii.They reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and covered issues of bilateral, regional and international interest.
iii.Focus was on cooperation in defence, security, geology and mineral resources, energy, health, education, infrastructure, culture, trade and investment-related issues.
About Zambia:
♦ Capital: Lusaka
♦ Currency: Zambian kwacha