Lungu heads to Maputo for US-Africa business summit

President Edgar Lungu is scheduled to attend this year’s US-Africa business summit to be held in Maputo, Mozambique.

Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji says President Lungu will have a one day working visit to Maputo on Wednesday to attend the 12th US-Africa business summit.

He said President Lungu will further hold bilateral talks with US government officials on the sidelines of the summit.

Malanji says the President is expected to return to Zambia on the same day.

He was speaking in Pretoria, South Africa enroute to Maputo, where he is leading a Zambian team comprising of government officials who include Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Christopher Yaluma.

Malanji says the US-Africa business forum is an important networking forum which needs to be strengthened through trade and investment policies.

He mentioned that Zambia has good support from the American government owing to the huge trade volumes between the two countries

And Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Christopher Yaluma says Zambia will participate in the negotiations for the second phase of the AGOA agreement.

He notes that as the first phase of AGOA agreement was coming to an end, Zambia would be among countries that would negotiate for the second phase under the umbrella of the African Union.

He says some Zambian companies have continued to export their products to the American market through AGOA.