Zambia to support implementation of FOCAC Dakar action plan

LUSAKA, Dec. 3 — Zambia will support the implementation of an action plan adopted at the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to ensure economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior government official said Thursday.
The FOCAC Dakar Action Plan, adopted at the conference held from Nov. 29 to 30 in Dakar, Senegal, will run from 2022 to 2024 with a focus on health, infrastructure, digital economy, green development, trade, and investment as well as capacity development, among others.
In a press release, Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kasongo Kakubo underscored the need for Africa and China to utilize the FOCAC framework as a platform for enhancing comprehensive and strategic partnerships for mutually beneficial cooperation.
FOCAC has contributed immensely to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and respective national development strategies, he said.
“As the newly elected Zambian government, we fully appreciate and embrace the role that China has played in the transformation of our economies on the continent. Zambia is one of the countries that has greatly benefited from the FOCAC initiative,” he said.
He further thanked China for supporting Zambia’s COVID-19 response strategy, and for contributing to the global vaccine sharing program COVAX, which has been instrumental in ensuring that African countries have access to life-saving vaccines.  (Xinhua)