Cooperation with Moscow can promote the African country’s economic development, Mulambo Haimbe has said
Zambia views its relations with Russia as a “strategic partnership,” with cooperation already advancing in education, energy, and trade, Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe has said.
Speaking to RT on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa Ministerial Conference in Cairo, Haimbe said more than 600 Zambian students are currently studying in Russia, many of them in high-demand technical fields, including nuclear energy.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema “has said repeatedly that our bedrock is giving a future to our people through education,” the minister noted, stressing that skills development is central to the country’s long-term growth.
He welcomed Russia’s role in providing not just academic training, but also infrastructure support in sectors such as energy.
Although bilateral trade between Russia and Zambia currently totals only $39 million, Haimbe said “the potential for that to grow is significant.” He pointed to Zambia’s young population, abundant mineral wealth, and strategic location as key assets.
“Russia has got the technological know-how, they’ve got the advancement, and Zambia has got the young people, the mineral resource,” he stated. “It’s a partnership waiting to happen.”
The minister highlighted Zambia’s central position in Southern Africa, noting that the country borders eight neighbors by land and one by water, creating access to a regional market of more than 500 million people. He expressed hope that technology transfer and trade cooperation with Russia could eventually scale across the wider African continent.
Haimbe also pointed to the long-standing historical ties between the two countries connected by more than 60 years of diplomatic relations, dating back to Zambia’s independence. “From the birth of our country […] we have had all-weather friends in Russia,” the minister said.
Addressing criticism from Western media over Africa’s engagement with Russia, Haimbe defended the continent’s right to make sovereign choices in a multipolar world.
“I don’t think that any particular region or nation or state should dictate to any other their friendships that they choose to have,” he said, adding that it’s about partnerships that “best fit our people.”