Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Emmanuel Mwamba says debt and economic transparency remain a sovereign issue for African countries and should not be used as a basis for bilateral partnerships with other states.

Speaking at the ongoing Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) senior officials’ meeting in Japan, High Commissioner Mwamba stressed the need for mutual respect and cooperation to drive the relationship between African Union (AU) member-states and Japan within the framework of TICAD.

He also contributed to the Yokohama Draft Action Plan by saying that the content of the plan is not expected to attach conditions to development.

According to a statement issued by First Secretary for Press and Tourism at the Zambian Mission in Ethiopia Inutu Mwanza, High Commissioner Mwamba stated that debt and economic transparency were a sovereign issue and could not be used as a basis for partnership in the plan.

He stressed that there was need for mutual respect and cooperation to drive the relationship between AU member-states and Japan within the framework of TICAD.

He proposed that the Draft Plan should not compel member-states to submit measures regarding debt, debt transparency and debt sustainability and further demand for macro-economic sustainability as such matters were local.

Mwamba, who is also accredited to the AU as Permanent Representative, stated that Africa had moved from foreign prescribed programmes on development to promoting partnerships that took into account local and Africa’s programmes.

He added that member states had local institutions and local mechanism to handle such matters and could not be a matter that the TICAD placed as a condition for cooperation between Africa and Japan and its international partners.

And Mwamba said that partnerships should be anchored on shared values and mutual cooperation and should not be based on development prescriptions as a solution.

And responding to Mwamba’s submission, Japan, which is the Co-chair of TICAD with the AU, stated that the Yokohama Action Plan would exclude matters that hinged on sovereignty issues, such as a demand on debt disclosures as a condition.