18 January 2024 – Oslo, Norway
Her Excellency Ms. Gladys Neven Lundwe, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Zambia to the Kingdom of Norway (non-resident), presented her Letters of Credence to His Majesty Harald V, King of Norway, at the Accreditation Ceremony that was held at the Royal Palace. After the Ceremony, His Majesty the King engaged the Ambassador in a conversation during a Solemn Audience.
Prior to the Presentation of Credentials, the Ambassador held separate meetings with Senior Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs namely; Ms. Tone Allers, Director General and Chief of Protocol, Mr. Vegar Brynildsen, Deputy Secretary General, and Ms. Siv Cathrine Moe, Director Africa Section. During the meetings, the parties discussed various matters of mutual interest between Norway and Zambia.
The diplomatic relations between the two (2) countries date as far back as December 1964 and over the years, the Norwegian Government has continued to render socio-economic support to the people of Zambia through development programmes and aid initiatives in various Sectors such as Health, Education, Energy, and Agriculture. The development programmes and aid initiatives include Norad, Norec and Norfund as well as the Norwegian Red Cross and Save the Children Norway.
Meanwhile, the Ambassador Stated that the Zambian Government was highly appreciative of the Norwegian support to Zambia and that His Excellency Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, was looking forward to strengthening the diplomatic relations based on mutual values and shared interests.
The Ambassador assured the Norwegian Government that under the able leadership of President Hichilema, Zambia has become one of the best economic destinations for investment opportunities in Africa, due to the good economic policies that the Government has put in place. Adding that, the country was moving away from seeking AID and gravitating towards global economic partnerships in various sectors such as Renewable Energy, Information and Technology, Mining, Transport, Infrastructure Development, and Tourism.
The Ambassador added that the Zambian Government was desirous to form new trade and investment partnerships with the Norwegian Government and the Norwegian Business Community for the mutual benefit of the two (2) countries. Meanwhile, the Zambian Mission in Stockholm was working closely with the Norwegian Africa Business Association that led a delegation of thirty (30) Prospective Business Investors to Zambia in October 2023 and was hopeful that their visit to Zambia would begin to yield positive results.
Issued by the Political Section
Embassy of Zambia, Stockholm.
