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Zambia has signed nine Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Chinese government and private companies in various sectors, including a pivotal protocol on phytosanitary regulations to enable the export of soya beans grown by Zambian farmers to China.
The agreements, signed on the sidelines of the 2024 Summit on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, are expected to attract significant Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and create employment opportunities in Zambia.
Speaking at the signing ceremony on Thursday, Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister. Chipoka Mulenga, said that President Hakainde Hichilema had instructed that these MoUs be translated into tangible investments that benefit Zambians.
“President Hakainde Hichilema has directed that these MoUs should not just end at signing ceremonies. They must be turned into actual investments back home to create employment opportunities for our people,” Mulenga said in a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday.
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He assured Chinese investors that the Zambian government would support the swift actualisation of their investments.
Among the agreements, the Minister of Agriculture, Mutolo Phiri, signed a protocol on phytosanitary regulations to facilitate the export of soya beans from Zambia to China.
This agreement was intended to ensure the safe export of soya beans based on pest risk analysis and the principles of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
The Zambia Minerals Investment Corporation Limited and African Jiante Energy Mining Company also inked an agreement to establish a joint venture named the Zambia Jiangte Energy and Mining Corporation Limited.
Additionally, an agreement was signed between the general administration of customs of the People’s Republic of China and Zambia’s Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, allowing for the export of heat-processed cocoon from Zambia to China.
Other MoUs included a partnership between Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Company Limited and the Zambia Development Agency, as well as agreements involving the National Institute of Public Administration with LONGI Solar Technology Co. Limited and Sino Green Technology Company.
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