FOREIGN Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Stanley Kakubo says Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi will undertake an official visit to the country today.

In a statement, Thursday, Kakubo said President Hakainde Hichilema and his DRC counterpart were scheduled to preside over the official signing of a Bilateral Cooperation Agreement between the two countries.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation wishes to inform the Nation that His Excellency Mr Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo will undertake an Official Visit to the Republic of Zambia on Friday 29th April, 2022. During the Visit, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia and President Tshisekedi are scheduled to preside over the official signing of a Bilateral Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This landmark Cooperation Agreement stems from the multi-stakeholder DRC-Africa Business Forum hosted by President Tshisekedi from 24th to 25th November, 2021, where President Hichilema delivered a keynote address. The two leaders acknowledged the need to identify opportunities and facilitate investments to increase Africa’s share of the battery, electric vehicles and renewable energy value chain,” the statement read.

Kakubo said the Zambia-DRC Initiative was in line with the country’s development aspirations to bring about a more diversified and industrialised economy.

“President Hichilema and President Tshisekedi therefore agreed to launch a joint Zambia-DRC Battery Precursor Initiative, whose vision is to create a competitive Electric Vehicle Battery Value Chain aimed towards sustainable development and inclusive growth, through the production of battery precursors. The Zambia-DRC Initiative is in line with the country’s development aspirations to bring about a more diversified and industrialised economy which will contribute towards job creation and the improvement of the Zambian people’s livelihoods, among others. The Republic of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo share strong historical bilateral ties and a common border and the two countries actively cooperate in social, political, and economic areas, within the framework of the Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation,” he said.

Kakubo said President Tshisekedi’s visit would strengthen existing bilateral ties, and that the Head of State was expected to depart Lusaka after his engagements.

“President Hichilema has underscored the need for Zambia to enhance cooperation with the Democratic Republic of Congo for mutual benefit and it is hoped that this visit by President Tshisekedi will further strengthen the existing bilateral ties between the two countries. The UPND Government will therefore continue to work with the Democratic Republic of Congo at regional, continental and international levels through the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the African Union, Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). The strong multilateral cooperation will be based on shared values and principles. His Excellency President Tshisekedi is expected to depart Lusaka after his engagements,” stated Kakubo.