On 19 September 2024, Ambassador Han Jing met with Hon. Mwabashike Nkulukusa, Minister of Central Province of Zambia.

Ambassador Han said that during the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping announced ten partnership actions that China would take with Africa to advance modernization in the next three years, which provided broad opportunities for deepening China-Zambia cooperation. Under the strategic guidance of the two Heads of State, China-Zambia relations have reached a new level. It was hoped that the two countries take the opportunity of the establishment of sister province relationship between Jiangxi Province and Central Province to further promote cooperation in various fields within the framework of FOCAC.

Minister Nkurukusa said that Zambia and China have enjoyed a profound traditional friendship and thanked China for its long-term support for Zambia. Central Province has huge potential for development in agriculture, mining and tourism. The Zambia-Jiangxi Economic Cooperation Zone has been successfully operating since last year. Chinese companies are welcome to invest and start businesses in Central Province.

Minister Nkurukusa handed over to Ambassador Han the signed text of Agreement on the Establishment of Sister Province Relationship between Central Province of the Republic of Zambia and Jiangxi Province of the People’s Republic of China.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Zambia.

On the last day of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) 2024 Provincial Week Programme, the Eastern Cape’s Permanent Delegates to the NCOP expressed their displeasure with the rising number of delayed infrastructure development projects in the province.

The delegation reiterated this displeasure during the last day of its week-long oversight visit to the selected infrastructure projects in the Chris Hani District Municipality as part of the NCOP’s Provincial Week Programme. The delayed projects included Fikile Gwadana Road, Louis Rex Primary School and the Komani Economic Industrial Park.

The delegation heard that the newly established Queenstown Economic Industrial Area project started on 14 February 2022 and was expected to be completed on 13 February 2023. However, due to a court action, the project was delayed for eleven months, from August 2022 to July 2023. The new completion date was 30 September 2024, but the project is still far from completion, mainly due to budgetary constraints.

The Louis Rex Primary School in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality has 33 prefabricated temporary classes. The project, which is at 54% completion, encountered a delay mainly due to poor performance by the first contractor.

The school’s principal informed the delegation that the school is overcrowded and has no recreational facilities, school clerk, staff room, or security guards. As a result, the school is vulnerable to all forms of crime emerging in the region, including extortion.

The Komani Industrial Park, situated within the greater Komani urban area, comprises two existing industrial areas of Queendustria and Ezibeleni township and is one of the district’s economic hopes.

The delegation heard that the park is faced with problems that include relocation of investors due to, among other things, water shortage, insufficient electricity supply, lack of ICT connectivity, insecurity, and lack of funding for park operations.

The delegation called on the leaders of the district and local municipalities where these projects exist to ensure that all of them are resuscitated and accordingly budgeted for so that they can be completed.

The leader of the delegation, Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana, said, “It is high time that we commit ourselves to salvaging the situation. Let us engage all the roleplayers to ensure that all these projects become alive and the objectives for which they were planned are fulfilled.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead the South African delegation to the 79th Session of the United Nations General Debate and High-Level Week (UNGA79) in New York from 21-24 September 2024.

This annual gathering of world leaders is the most important event on the UN calendar, with Heads of State and Government and Heads of International Organisations discussing global challenges and how to address these challenges in the best interest of humanity. 

This year, the African Group presides over the General Assembly, with Mr Philemon Yang, former Prime Minister of Cameroon, elected as President of the 79th Session.

The theme identified by the President of UNGA79 is, “Unity in diversity, for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for everyone everywhere.” 

President Ramaphosa is expected to address the General Assembly on the opening day, Tuesday, 24 September 2024.

Among the issues on which President Ramaphosa will focus on during his engagements in New York include the necessity for the maintenance of international peace and security; the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda; climate change and the upcoming COP29 in Baku; financing for development, and health and pandemic preparedness.

President Ramaphosa will take part in the United Nations Secretary-General’s flagship High-Level Summit of the Future (SoTF) on 22 September 2024, which, at its conclusion, is expected to adopt a Pact for the Future (PFTF).

While in New York, President Ramaphosa will also engage business leaders as part of the drive to attract foreign direct investment for South Africa.

Ministers accompanying the President include Mr Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation; Ms Maropene Ramokgopa, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health; Dr Dion George, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and Mr Parks Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

On 19 September, with a view to holding consultations on cooperation with African countries, Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa Maksym Subkh held a meeting with Director of the Sub-Saharan Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Vaclav Prašil.

During the consultations, the Czech diplomat was informed about Kyiv’s initiatives in the context of intensifying political dialogue, trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation with African countries. In particular, Maksym Subkh briefed the Czech diplomat about the expansion of Ukraine’s diplomatic presence on the African continent..

For his part, Vaclav Prašil outlined current development of cooperation between official Prague and the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and the role played by economic diplomacy in this process. The Czech diplomat focused on the key points of the fundamental document for the development of relations with the continent “Engaging in Africa: Czechia’s Strategy”.

The parties discussed possible joint Ukrainian-Czech projects in Africa and mechanisms for their implementation. It was agreed to continue the dialogue on issues of cooperation on African affairs.

During the meeting the ways of cooperation between Ukraine and the Czech Republic in the context of the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula were also discussed, as well as wider involvement of African countries in the Second Peace Summit and the contribution of official Prague to the continuation of the successful implementation of the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian initiative.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.