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The Vice President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr. Ahmed Afif, led the Seychelles delegation to the 22nd Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit of Heads of State and Government in Lusaka, Zambia, which took place on 8 June 2023. At the opening ceremony of this year’s summit, the Chairman of the Authority was handed over from the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the President of the Republic of Zambia.
The summit was the first held in person since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The theme focused on economic integration for a thriving COMESA region, with an emphasis on green investments, value addition and tourism. In his speech to the summit, the Vice President acknowledged the importance of green investments and reiterated the need to pay more attention to investments related to the ocean. He commended the Secretariat’s efforts in developing a regional COMESA strategy for the blue economy, which calls for increased investment in the blue economy sector.
Furthermore, Vice President Afif emphasized the importance of adding value, which was also discussed at length during the previous Business Council Forum. He stressed that investments in technology, research and development and skills training will enable the region to transform its products into high-quality end products, adding value. He also referred to tourism, which is an important sector for all Member States, and the many benefits it brings to the region’s economies.
The Vice President had the opportunity to have a brief interaction with the President of the host country, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, in which they expressed their satisfaction with the ongoing status of bilateral relations between Seychelles and Zambia, as well as the cooperation at both regional and international level. Vice President Afif commended the signing of the Global Cooperation Agreement between the two countries, which will open avenues for further strengthening these relations.
Mr. Claude Morel, Ambassador to Zambia and Permanent Representative to COMESA, Ms. Nisha Chengo, Second Secretary and Office Officer for COMESA at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism and Honorary Consul, accompanied Vice President Afif at the summit General of the Republic of Seychelles in the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Jimmy Butt.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism – Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Seychelles.
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