President Edgar Lungu has expressed sadness at the wide infrastructure gap on the continent, estimated at US$180 million as a serious challenge to industrialization and sustainable development in Africa.
The Head of State has noted the importance of infrastructure development in Africa, with particular reference to the rail network meant to boost intra-Africa trade and industrial development.
President Lungu says Zambia is committed to supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) towards the realization of Agenda 2063.
He hopes that the mandate of Africa Union Development Agency will efficiently coordinate regional and continental project for the speedy realization of Agenda 2063.
Meanwhile, the Head of State has invited African Union Commission Chairperson to come to Zambia.
In a special message delivered on behalf of President Edgar Lungu by Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji, President Lungu invited Mr. Mahamat to personally visit the Tanzania Zambia railways workshop and training center in Mpika that will be specialized in manufacturing a component of the integrated high speed train project.
The train project has been envisioned to enable African states to build high-speed trains in Africa and the training engineering institute will be based at the TAZARA Mpika Workshop.
Zambia in 2015 offered to be a regional training centre as well as one of the specialized assembly plants for manufacture of various components of the continental integrated high speed train.
The President thanked the AUC Chairperson for the consideration of Zambia as one of the locations for the implementation of the project.
On the relocation of the AU secretariat of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) to Zambia, Mr. Malanji said Zambian Government was ready to receive the ECOSOCC secretariat staff as all logistical arrangements were in place.
He expressed optimism that ECOSOCC staff recruitment would be completed soon to ensure the long awaited relocation of the ECOSOCC secretariat to Lusaka was undertaken by April, 2019.
This is contained in a statement issued to Money FM News by Zambia’s Embassy to Ethiopia Press Secretary Inutu Mwanza.

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