LUSAKA, July 5, 2010, – His Excellency, Mr. Rupiah Banda, President of the Republic of Zambia is Wednesday expected to host his counterpart, His Excellency, Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, President of the Federal Republic of Brazil, who will be in Zambia for a two-day official visit.
President Lula Da Silva will visit Zambia at the invitation of President Banda. The two Heads of State first met in Rome, Italy during the World Food Programme (WFP) summit. President Banda used this occasion to invite President Lulu Da Silva to visit Zambia as part of his efforts of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
President Banda said he was happy that President Lula Da Silva accepted his visitation to Zambia together with key businessmen and women from Brazil who are interested in investing in Zambia. President Banda appealed to the business community in Zambia to take advantage of the Business Forum between Zambia and Brazil to be held on Thursday, which will be attended by President Lula Da Silva. Brazil has the largest economy in South America and it is also rated the tenth largest in the world.
President Banda and President Lula Da Silva are expected to hold official talks at State House on Thursday morning before witnessing the signing of various Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) in different fields between the two countries. Among the agreements to be signed include, the production and utilization of biofuels, strengthening the National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS; and technical cooperation in the field of sports and education.
President Lula Da Silva is also scheduled to address Parliament before leaving Zambia.
The last high-level visit between Zambia and Brazil was in 1979 when President Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda went to Brazil in 1979, a visit which culminated in the signing of a US$30 million credit facility to Zambia.
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Issued by:
Dickson Jere
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
