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- Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema has commended Angola for the free and fair elections it held last year.
- Zambia seeks to strengthen trade relations with Angola across various sectors.
- Angola's peace facilitation in the DRC presents hopes for peace in the Great Lakes region.
Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema has, in his address to the Angolan National Assembly on Wednesday, spoken about both countries' "shared goals" of democracy and accountability as the cornerstone of international relations.
Hichilema was on a two-day state visit to Luanda where he met his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, to discuss issues ranging from cooperation in the fields of aviation, education, culture, science, agricultural and livestock production, mining and energy to transport industries' interconnection between the two countries.
Hichilema - who came into power in 2021 after five failed presidential bids in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2016 - has emerged as one of the region's poster boys of democracy.
As such, the National Assembly address presented itself as a stage for him to talk about good governance and democracy.
"We must, therefore, be each other's partner, guardian, as well as accountability partners in our shared pursuit for socio-economic and democratic progress," he said in his speech directed at Carolina Cerqueira, the president of the National Assembly of Angola and delegates.
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In March, Zambia will host the US-initiated Democracy Summit that will centre around defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and advancing respect for human rights.
Last year, Angola held presidential and National Assembly elections where the ruling party, the MPLA, got a slight majority ahead of its independence rival, Unita.
The elections were the closest in Angolan history between the liberation movements.
The poll outcomes were endorsed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
"Having held peaceful, free, and fair elections in August 2022, Angola joins other SADC countries in contributing towards enhancing peaceful and democratic governance in our region," Hichilema said.
This despite the opposition having raised concerns the elections were not free and fair.
For Hichilema, a democracy should respect civil liberties.
"In order to grow and entrench our democracy, we must work together in ensuring meaningful participation of all grounds and sections of our societies, by making sure all voices, all tribes, genders, and sub-sections of society are heard and heard - equally," he said.
In southern Africa, Zimbabwe, eSwatini, Madagascar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are set to hold general elections this year.
Mozambique will have local government elections on 11 October. For general elections, only the DRC has budgeted for December.
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However, the conflict in the eastern part of the country, where M23 rebels are, could derail the polls.
Angola has taken a leading role in the peace initiative in DRC and the Great Lakes region as a facilitator and as such, Hichilema acknowledged its role.
"We also acknowledge the peace initiative that Angola, under the leadership of President Joao Lourenço, is spearheading in the Great Lakes region.
"Zambia reaffirms its commitment to all efforts to restore peace in eastern DRC, particularly through the Luanda Peace Process, as well as the Nairobi Peace Process," he said.
On the second and last day of his visit, Hichilema went to Benguela to visit the Lobito Corridor.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
