'Zambia has many investment opportunities for Saudis'

(MENAFN- Arab News) RIYADH: Zambian First Lady Esther N.T. Lungu who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia is pleased with the generosity of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in supporting approximately 90 countries with around $115 billion of aid.
In an exclusive interview to Arab News the First Lady who was accompanied by Zambian officials from the Ministries of Health Education and Agriculture said the people of Saudi Arabia are very friendly cheerful and have a heart for humanity.

The following is the text of the interview:

Q: Your Excellency could you tell us the salient outcome of your visits?
A: Let me first express my utmost thanks for the generosity and hospitality of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. Indeed it is the king's warm hospitality that made our visit possible. He opened the gates for us to enter Saudi Arabia to come and interact with the private and public partnerships in relation to my program. For this visit we had an interaction and collaboration with Riyadh-based 'Inter Health Canada' which has offered us $1 million to $3 million worth of drugs and equipment for medical institutions back home in Zambia on a long-term basis. We are very grateful and appreciate the goodwill and all the people that have offered us help.

Q: Can you tell us briefly about your country its location and investment opportunities?
A: Zambia is in the southern part of Africa; it has a population of roughly 14 million. Now it is politically stable. It is very peaceful and has vast areas of undeveloped land where investors can come and invest. There are many sectors like mining tourism and agriculture where Saudi businessmen can invest.

Q: Did you manage to attract some Saudi investment?
A: Yes. Advance Electronic Systems International (AESI) based in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom has proposed a multimillion-dollar investment in infrastructure projects such as health and energy sectors on a build-own-operate-transfer model in Zambia. A concrete collaboration between us is likely to be concluded in the near future for the development of projects in the health and energy sectors. This encompasses preparation of feasibility studies project finance and development through the engineering procurement and construction model.

Q: What is your top priority during this first visit?
A: I came for several programs; most importantly to follow up the 800-bed hospital project for women and children in Zambia. The project was launched in 2013 by the then First Lady but unfortunately when she left office I found the program on my table and felt obliged to go ahead and complete it. Hence I should take advantage and look into other issues relating to my agenda in the office of the first lady. I have passion for women's empowerment. It may sound vague but I'm looking at goat rearing because it is a project that can be easily done by women especially in the rural areas. They need projects that will be easier for them to manage in the long term. I have seen here in Saudi Arabia that goats provide meat cheese and milk. I'm looking at Zambia supplying these products through the project of women rearing goats on a larger scale. Of course it won't be on a very large scale but we have start from somewhere and we'll keep growing with my office's support and with the support I get from public and private partnerships in Saudi Arabia.

Q: What are the areas of cooperation where the two countries can further improve?
A: One of the aims of my visit is to visit major hospitals universities and humanitarian centers in addition to women's groups at the chambers of commerce here. I have the backing of my permanent secretary or secretaries from the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock Education Health and Finance. Saudi universities have agreed to offer sponsorships at the hospitals besides a training exchange program in the medical sector.
We visited the Princess Nora University (PNU) for women the largest women's university in the world. I also became interested in the section where the left-handed students have special equipments.

Q: How about your visit to Jeddah?
A: We visited the university in Jeddah and the International Islamic Relief Organization-Saudi Arabia (IIROSA). We had a very successful discussion with these people. During all our visits I made a presentation of my programs back home. Our Saudi friends really felt for my office knowing that it is new and has no funding. It is not institutionalized so they offered help. We have been asked to provide a list of what we require. Some of the proposals have already been done online.