Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, held talks with President Hakainde Hichilema during an official visit to Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, aimed at strengthening bilateral economic cooperation and unlocking new avenues for trade and investment between the two nations.
Heading a senior UAE business delegation under the UAE Trade and Investment Days initiative, Al Zeyoudi also met key Zambian ministers, including those responsible for energy, finance and national planning, technology and science, agriculture, health, and commerce, trade and industry. The discussions focused on identifying practical opportunities to expand trade collaboration and stimulate fresh investment flows across priority sectors.
As part of the programme, Al Zeyoudi took part in a ministerial roundtable that convened members of the UAE delegation alongside senior Zambian officials to advance dialogue on deeper sectoral partnerships and enhance long-term economic integration.
The roundtable created a strategic platform to reinforce commercial links through improved trade facilitation, stronger supply chain resilience and increased private sector engagement. Both sides also explored progress towards concluding a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which is expected to widen market access for goods and services, support structured economic cooperation and encourage investment through a more forward-looking bilateral framework.
Non-oil trade between the UAE and Zambia reached USD 3.4B in 2025, marking a 64.5 per cent increase compared to 2024 and highlighting the growing scale and strength of the economic partnership.
