The sixth session of the Zambia-India Joint Permanent Cooperation Commission was held in Lusaka, co-chaired by Zambian Foreign Minister Mulambo Hambe and Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. Photo:
Zambian Foreign Minister Mulambo Hambe and Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh co-chaired the sixth session of the Zambia-India Joint Permanent Commission in Lusaka on 6 November.
The two leaders appreciated the growing momentum in bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations for the benefit of the people of both countries. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the continued exchange of visits and underlined the importance of regular exchanges at the political and official levels, including interactions within multilateral and multilateral fora, including the United Nations. They also acknowledged the need to organize more events and programs at each other’s places. The country will celebrate 60 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Zambia.
Both sides reviewed cooperation in the areas of agriculture, education, science and technology, energy, culture, housing and urban development, finance, development partnerships, training scholarships and capacity building, defence, mines and mineral resources, transport and communications, water and Discussed. Development and sanitation, disaster management health care, cooperatives and SMEs, and consular issues. The two leaders underlined the need to realize the untapped potential in these important areas of bilateral cooperation.
The two leaders highlighted the need to expand existing cooperation in agriculture and agro-processing sector. This included the Indian side’s proposal to gift 100 solar powered irrigation pumps to Zambia as well as enhance cooperation in the minor irrigation sector through private sector initiatives. Both sides also acknowledged the growing scope of cooperation in this area and the Zambian side highlighted the need for them to consider more ITEC slots for short-term training programmes.
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India and Zambia also discussed the early launch of the India-Zambia Technology Transfer Programme. In view of the energy shortage in Zambia, both sides discussed ways to accelerate the implementation of the proposal of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to set up a 400 MW solar power plant in Zambia under the ISA-Programme. The Indian side urged for early conclusion of the tripartite agreement between Zambia, NTPC and ISA. Both sides also discussed technical cooperation in the areas of new construction technologies and techniques in mass affordable housing, sharing of innovative low-cost housing technologies that are scalable and environmentally sustainable.
The Indian and Zambian leaders appreciated the growing cooperation in the field of mines and mineral resources. The Indian side offered support on training needs and sought specific investment proposals in the mining sector, especially in critical minerals. Both sides also reviewed defense cooperation between the two countries and stressed the need for early formation of the Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) to provide structured cooperation in this area.
In the healthcare sector, the two leaders discussed ways to expeditiously complete the proposal to recognize the Indian Pharmacopoeia, which will help Zambia get quality medicines at affordable prices. Discussion on setting up of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities including vaccine manufacturing plants, healthcare delivery and centers of excellence for capacity building and skill transfer.
The Indian side expressed concern over the ongoing drought situation in Zambia and underlined its pledge to provide material assistance to Zambia in the form of 2500 MT of maize, which is expected to arrive soon. The Indian side informed that other grant proposals such as five fire tenders, 500 sewing and 100 embroidery machines and medical equipment worth US$1 million are also under consideration by the Government of India.
The two leaders acknowledged that there is vast scope for improvement in trade between the two countries, including the need to diversify the trade basket for further expansion and more regular participation in each other’s trade and business programs. Both sides discussed the possibility of importing petroleum products from India into Zambia at competitive prices to strengthen its energy security.
Capacity building and training programs remain an important dimension of the India-Zambia partnership. The need to expand capacity building to new areas was also stressed. The Zambian parties expressed appreciation for the e-VBAB program (Online Learning), which is being operated from a learning center at Mulungushi University, Kabwe, which has benefited over 2000 Zambian students.
The Indian side invited Zambia to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA). The Indian side also welcomed the ratification of the ISA Framework Agreement by Zambia.
Both sides expressed appreciation for the successful and productive discussions during the sixth session of the Joint Standing Commission. India’s Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change extended an invitation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Zambia to lead the Zambian delegation to the 7th session of the Joint Permanent Commission as per a mutually convenient time frame. 2026 in New Delhi.
published – November 07, 2024 12:24 PM IST