. Chanda

By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
JAPAN has invested in research to improve and stabilise Zambia’s energy sector, especially that the southern African country is key, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s special envoy Hisoshi Kikwanda has said.
Mr Kikwanda, who is the Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, told President Edgar Lungu  during a meeting at State House yesterday that Zambia was an important partner for Japan.
He said the Japanese Government was currently conducting a research on how to improve the energy sector.
The Japanese Government, he said, was providing assistance to the Kaizen Institute of Zambia and was providing financial assistance for implementation of the country’s economic policies.
Japan is seeking ways to further help Zambia because, while Africa’s economic growth was rapid, Zambia still faces challenges which Japan was committed to help overcome.
He said he was in the country to get President Lungu’s opinion on the sixth Tokyo International Conference on Africa (TICA) which would be held in Kenya next year.
The Japanese envoy is also in Zambia to get the President’s opinion on the need to make reforms to the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
Before going into a closed-door meeting, Mr Lungu said he was looking forward to attending the TICA slated for the East African country.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda said President Lungu and Mr Kikwanda had cordial discussions on the relations between Zambia and Japan during the closed-door talks.
Mr Chanda said Mr Kikwanda brought a special message from the Japanese prime minister to President Lungu inviting him for the TICA.
He said the Japanese Government also offered to invest in research to improve and stabilise the energy sector because energy was key to industrialisation.
Mr Chanda said President Lungu assured Japan that Zambia remained a liberalised economy that treated contracts fairly. The President also invited potential investors from Japan to visit Zambia.
On the UN security reforms, Mr Chanda said Mr Lungu pointed out to Japan that he shared Africa’s position, which expressed the need to reform the Council.