LUSAKA – Presidents Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia and John Dramani Mahama of Ghana called for stronger intra-African trade and investment during the Ghana–Zambia business dialogue held at the InterContinental Hotel in Lusaka on Friday, February 6, 2026.
Hichilema said African nations must wake up to the opportunities of regional trade and collaboration. “President Mahama and I are very awake. Zambia and Ghana are so aligned. The reform path we have taken is similar. Yes, one country may be ahead of another in this and that. But we are alive to the challenges of Africa,” he said.
The Zambian president urged both countries and regional blocs such as ECOWAS, SADC, the East African Community, and North African partners to build “enduring bridges” for sustainable and mutually beneficial ventures. “We will be proud that our people are better off. When we talk about intra-African trade, we are not against Europe, America or Asia. Africa will be better placed to do business with Europe, America or Asia when it’s organised. That’s all we are talking about,” Hichilema said. He added that foreign investors remain welcome but African nations should engage on terms that benefit all parties.
President Mahama said his visit aims to leverage the comparative advantages of Ghana and Zambia, particularly in mining and trade. “Ghana has a very long list. It would be useful to see what products on that import list we can import from Zambia and other African countries. It would also be interesting to see what Zambia’s import list is, to see what products Ghana has comparative advantage to export into the Zambian market,” he said.
Both leaders stressed the importance of innovation, shared prosperity, and culture in fostering strong partnerships. Hichilema said, “Successful countries around the world are strong on culture. We Africans must be proud of our culture.” Mahama added that the future of the Ghana–Zambia relationship should be “written in the language of trade, investment, innovation and shared prosperity.”
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