By Staff Reporter
Former first lady Dr Christine Kaseba has hailed the soon to be launched League of African Ambassadors next month as a milestone in foreign policy evolution.
Speaking at a high-level roundtable at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) over the weekend, Dr Kaseba said the distinguished group had more to offer to Zambian diplomacy than could be fathomed
“It’s a milestone in our foreign policy evolution,” she stated.
Veteran diplomat Lazarous Kapambwe said the diplomatic torch need not dim once an envoy’s posting ends.
Kapambwe—himself a former Ambassador to the United States and now special envoy to President Hakainde Hichilema—called on African governments to harness the expertise of retired diplomats.
“Western countries have long understood that an Ambassador’s value doesn’t expire with their posting,” Kapambwe said. “They become repositories of geopolitical insight. Why should Africa, why should Zambia, discard its own seasoned minds when the world retains theirs?”
The gathering drew over 30 former Zambian envoys who served across Africa, Europe, and North America, including notable figures such as Dr Nevers Mumba, former Vice President and High Commissioner to Canada, and Dr Kaseba Sata, former Ambassador to France and wife of the late fifth President of Zambia Michael Chilufya Sata.
Dr Mumba praised the initiative, calling it “a masterstroke of diplomatic continuity.”
“To see the crème de la crème of Zambian diplomacy in one room is not just nostalgic—it’s strategic,” he said. “The LAA planning committee deserves every commendation.”
According to the statement shared with Daily Revelation newspaper, the LAA is a non-political and not-for-profit entity, aiming to institutionalise the role of former ambassadors in peace-building, mentorship, treaty analysis, and regional integration.
Its continental launch in Lusaka is expected to draw senior government officials, ministers, and private sector leaders from the continent.
“Diplomacy doesn’t retire—it recalibrates,” said Amb. Anthony Mukwita, Zambia’s former ambassador to Germany and a member of the LAA Zambia planning committee. “We’re building a think tank of lived experience here and the response from fellow Ambassadors here gathered today shows that the diplomatic fire is burning in the belly.”
The League’s founding pillars include, Peace and conflict resolution, Mentorship and capacity building, Treaty and policy analysis, Regional integration and cooperation, Strategic advisory to governments
Ambassador Nwanne Ominyi, former Nigerian envoy to Zambia and current LAA president, was lauded for spearheading the League’s registration in Zambia after other African nations struggled to secure permits.
“Zambia has become the diplomatic cradle of this continental vision,” Kapambwe noted. “It’s fitting that Lusaka will host history next month and hopefully host the office of LAA in future.”
The LAA has already held consultations with Foreign Affairs Minister Hon. Mulambo Haimbe, Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa, Lusaka Mayor Chilando Chilangwa, and several CEOs from Zambia’s financial sector, banks such UBA.
Amb. Kapambwe concluded by reminding the gathered Zambian Ambassadors that, “there is no such thing as former Ambassadors, there’s only former stations or countries you served in. You are an Ambassador for life you work for life.”
