President Banda Leaves for Brazil on State Visit

LUSAKA, Zambia, November 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- His Excellency, Mr. Rupiah Banda, President of the Republic of Zambia, will today leave for Brazil for a three-day State Visit at the invitation of His Excellency, Mr. Luiz Inancio da Silva, and outgoing President of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

The President will travel to Brazil on Monday morning via Luanda, Angola for a State Visit, aimed at enhancing bilateral and trade relations between Zambia and Brazil. President Banda will also use the trip to attract Brazilian investors especially in the field of transport, bio-fuels and mining.

The trip to Brazil has been organised by the Brazilian President as a reciprocal invitation following his visit to Zambia in July 2010. During his visit, President Luiz Inancio da Silva promised to enhance trade relations between Zambia and his country and hinted that companies such as Vale and Scania will soon invest in Zambia.

President Banda is scheduled to give a keynote address at the Zambia-Brazil Business Forum in Sao Paulo, which will be attended by several Zambian businessmen and women as well as key Brazilian investors, including Vale Mining, recently invested in Zambia's mining sector at Konkola North Copper Mine.

During the visit, President Banda will also hold talks with the incoming President of Brazil Her Excellency, Ms Dilma Rousseff, and other senior officials in the Brazilian Government.

The President will be accompanied to Brazil by Foreign Affairs Minister Hon. Kabinga Pande, MP, Mines and Minerals Minister Hon. Maxwell Mwale, MP, Livestock and Fisheries Minister Hon. Bradford Machila, MP, Education Minister Hon. Dora Siliya, MP, Commerce, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Hon. Dr. Lwipa Puma, MP and other Senior Government Officials.

After the State Visit to Brazil, President Banda will proceed to Gaborone, Botswana, where he is due to chair the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Troika Heads of State Meeting of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation to be held on November 19, 2010.

The following day, President Banda and other SADC Heads of State and Government, will officially commission the new SADC Headquarters in Gaborone and thereafter attend the Extra-Ordinary Summit, which has been called to discuss the political situation in the region. President Banda, as chairman of the Troika Organ, will present his first report to the Heads of State and Government Summit.

The President and his delegation will return to Zambia after the SADC Heads of State Summit.

SOURCE State House Lusaka, Republic of Zambia