Zambia and Germany recently signed a EUR97.5m technical and financial cooperation grant for water, sanitation and governance improvement programs for 2017–2018.
Germany also made a commitment to disburse EUR27m to Zambia for water resource management, sanitation, reduction of the El Nino effects, and implementation of decentralization programs.
Zambia’s Finance Minister Felix Mutati said that the total grant of EUR124.5m provided by Germany is a sign of the confidence of the international community in the economic governance measures implemented by the administration of President Edgar Lungu.
He added: “The Zambian Government will continue to negotiate with both bilateral and multilateral cooperating partners to ensure that the donor components of the country’s financing needs in 2017 and beyond are timely financed and disbursed.
Through frequent interaction, the reliability of the relationship not only between Zambia and German, but with all cooperating partners should be optimized on the basis of common objectives, fellowship, and harmonization of perceptions and interests.”
The German Ambassador to Zambia Achim Burkart said that Zambia is an important partner in the African Sub-Saharan region whose great potential for renewable energies is a source of attraction for investments from Europe.
In addition, Germany pledged to provide EUR20.5m for poverty reduction programs under the special initiative One World – No Hunger Program.
Zambia Germany Relations
Germany has maintained diplomatic relations with Zambia since the latter gained independence on 24 October 1964.
The principal objectives of the German-Zambian cooperation are reducing poverty, developing good governance and improving overall social and political conditions.
In 2014, German imports from Zambia were worth a total of EUR23.57m, while German exports to Zambia totaled approximately EUR80.56m.
Zambia’s main imports from Germany include motor vehicles, mechanical engineering and chemical products.
