By Merlyn Mwanza
President Hakainde Hichilema will join 18 other heads of state for the summit on agriculture in Dakar, Senegal.
But opposition PeP leader Sean Tembo in a derogatory manner in reference to the President said “he wants to teach the Senegalese how to split a bag of fertilizer into 12 medas.”
In a media statement, minister of Foreign Affairs Stanley Kakubo announced that the President is leaving the country today at the invitation of Senegalese President Macky Sall to participate in the Dakar 2 summit on Agriculture from 25-27 January 2023.
“The President is part of a select Committee of African Heads of State who are tasked to ensure Africa mobilises cheaper capital funds for the Agricultural inputs and value chain investment. President Hichilema will therefore join 18 other Heads of State and Government at the second edition of this important Summit, convened in collaboration with African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Research (IFAR) where the African Development Bank is expected to announce its Compact Fund to support structural transformation in agriculture in countries such as Zambia,” Kakubo stated. “During the Summit under the theme, “Feed Africa: Food Resilience and Food Sovereignty”, the President will participate in Presidential High Level Roundtable discussions on agriculture, food security and integration, as well as preside over the presentation of Zambia’s Compact on Agriculture, which outlines the country’s potential and strategies for development of the sector, in order to attract investments from to private sector stakeholders, multilateral organisations.”
He argued for the President’s participation in the summit describing it as crucial in order to shore up government’s ongoing efforts to create opportunities for joint ventures and partnerships in the Agriculture sector, with key industry players, in recognition of it being a major source of livelihood for the majority of the Zambian people.
“The Government, under the leadership of President Hichilema, has continued to seek investments towards climate smart agriculture in order to enhance food security, ensure resilience of livelihoods and respond to the effects of climate change,” stated Kakubo. “On the margins of the Summit, the President is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders and heads of key international organisations. The President is expected to return to Zambia immediately after his engagements.”
But in reaction to the announcement, Tembo stated: “Ati ayenda pa Senegal for Agriculture Summit. He wants to teach the Senegalese how to split a bag of fertilizer into 12 medas.”
