By CHARLES SIMENGWA –

•Mountevans

A BUSINESS delegation from the United Kingdom (UK), led by the Lord Mayor of London, Jeffrey Mountevans, will arrive in the country on Wednesday, this week, to strengthen bilateral trade between Zambia and the UK.
A number of business engagements have been lined up for Lord Mountevans, who would be in Lusaka until the weekend.
He would hold meetings with senior Government officials, Bank of Zambia, investment authorities, regulators and business leaders.
This was according to a joint statement issued by first secretary-Press and public relations at the Zambian High Commission in London, Abigail Chaponda, and City of London Corporation senior media officer, Henry Tanner.
Lord Mountevans would be expected to tour the Lusaka Stock Exchange, followed by a roundtable discussion on the challenges around growing Zambia’s capital market.
A meeting between the Securities Exchange Commission of Zambia and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment on benchmark qualifications and professional standards, as well as the growth of the Zambian capital market would also form part of his engagements.
Additionally, he would be meeting and speaking to members of the British Chamber of Commerce, the World Bank Group, and Industrial Development Corporation.
He would also be the guest at a conference with the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry and local companies on the business environment, challenges and opportunities in Zambia.
“Building a partnership between our two countries is the main goal of my visit this week.
“I want to make sure that the City of London and the rest of the UK are Zambia’s first thought when they want to do business,” the Lord Mayor said ahead of his visit.
The Lord Mayor heads the City of London’s authority for one year and the position is unpaid, but it is an exceptionally demanding role.
He spends some 90 days abroad and addresses some 10,000 people face-to-face each month, making around 800 speeches a year.
“Bilateral trade between Zambia and the UK, which has reached record levels, is expected to continue with its strong growth,” he said.
Zambia’s High Commissioner to the UK, Muyeba Chikonde said after attending a private dinner hosted by the Lord Mayor and Lord Mayoress at the Mansion House, that Lord Mountevans’ visit affirmed the growing bilateral relations between Zambia and the UK.
Mr Chikonde said the visit also asserted Zambia’s position as one of the most preferred investment destinations in Africa.
“What remains is for us Zambians to harness, cherish and promote this potential by telling the world Zambia’s good story,” he said.