By MAIMBO MWEEMBA
German Chancellor’s Personal Representative for Africa Gunter Nooke has appreciated government’s ambitious social and economic reform agenda.
Mr Nooke also commended government’s zero tolerance stances on corruption and its commitment to good governance and protecting human rights
Speaking when he met president Hichilema today, Mr Nooke The German Chancellor’s Personal Representative for Africa, met today with H.E. the President, Hakainde Hichilema assured President Hichilema that Germany stands ready to build a partnership for reforms with the new Zambian government.
And Mr Nooke also shared plans to provide an additional € 7 million funding as a sign of the German Government’s support to Zambia’s peaceful and democratic transition and the new Government’s ambitious reform agenda.
“This support will be focused on providing jobs for the youth through vocational education and training in the water and energy sector and to assisting Zambia’s fight against the Covid pandemic by helping to stabilize drinking water provision by commercial utilities,” he said.
During his visit, Mr Nooke’s visit also signed agreements under international law with finance Situmbeko Musokotwane worth € 46.8 million that had been committed during the Zambian-German government negotiations in 2020.
He said these funds aim at promoting citizen´s participation, transparency, and access to justice, decentralization, food security and nutrition as well as improving access to water and sanitation.
Mr Nooke and President Hichilema also exchanged views on major challenges ahead, in particular the fight against corruption and ensuring the rule of law as well as job creation and the return to debt sustainability.
“The German Government is encouraged by the Zambian Government’s commitment to resolve the debt crisis in strong cooperation with the IMF and through the G20 common framework; I want to offer Germany’s support through development cooperation and in the international financial institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank and the African Development Bank,” he said.
