Africa-Press – Zambia. On 27 August, the Zambian capital will welcome some of the continent’s most distinguished statesmen and women, serving and former Ambassadors, for the inaugural Indaba of the League of African Ambassadors (LAA).
This week, that countdown entered a defining chapter. In the grand halls of Cabinet Office, the LAA Planning Committee was received by none other than Mr. Patrick Kangwa, Secretary to the Cabinet and the most senior civil servant in the Republic of Zambia.
The meeting, dignified yet warm, was more than protocol, it was a continental milestone.
Speaking on behalf of the Planning Committee, Vice-Chairperson Amb. Lazarous Kapambwe, Special Envoy of President Hakainde Hichilema, paid tribute to Mr. Kangwa’s openness and engagement:
“I sincerely believe I speak for the LAA Planning Committee in Lusaka and our interim President, H.E. Ominyi Nwanne, when I say we are humbled and grateful that you accorded us this opportunity as we move closer to our launch on 27 August right here in Lusaka.”
Amb. Kapambwe hastened to state that the LAA charter emphasises the ethos of non-partisanship and non-profit onto its greater continental membership.
Interim President Nwanne, his words weighted with the long journey of the LAA, reminded all present that the road had not been easy:
“It took over two years to secure registration. Some countries stalled, but Zambia, after due diligence, gave us the green light. Today, we are a registered continental entity , a league of Ambassadors who have represented kings, presidents, and respected ordinary citizens of our countries We are a think tank, not a political vehicle, none partisan and non-political.”
H.E. Sylvester Mundanda, interim Head of Administration for LAA in Zambia, underlined the vision:
“The wealth of experience and education held by Africa’s Ambassadors is too great to be left idle. This initiative will ensure that knowledge serves both national and continental good.”
For Chair of Publicity and Communication, Ambassador Anthony Mukwita, the emphasis was on scale:
“The LAA is not Zambian in scope. It is continental, with more than 200 Ambassadors — serving and retired — united by a common purpose: to advance economic diplomacy, foster African cohesion, and champion peace.”
Also present at the engagement were H.E. Bob Samakayi, H.E. Charity Charamba of the Zimbabwe Embassy in Zambia, and Counsellor Joel Joseph, all lending their diplomatic gravitas to the occasion, all of them, respected members of the LAA Planning Committee in Zambia.
The LAA’s Promise in an Age of Uncertainty
1. A Continental Bridge: In a time of political tremors, the LAA offers a steady, neutral platform for unity and dialogue.
2. Guardians of Experience: Africa’s top diplomats hold networks and insights too powerful to be side-lined.
3. Peace through Prosperity: Economic diplomacy will be wielded as an instrument for stability, growth, and shared progress.
As the sun sets on Lusaka’s winter, the city readies itself for a summer of diplomacy. In just days, its avenues will play host to convoys of black diplomatic vehicles, its hotels to hushed conversations of continental strategy, its air thick with the quiet weight of history in the making.
The Secretary to the Cabinet’s welcome (Mr Patrick Kangwa) is more than hospitality, it is Zambia’s seal of commitment to a new chapter in African diplomacy.
On 27 August, the continent will watch Lusaka, and Lusaka will rise to meet the moment, like it has done in the past with the establishment of COMESA, ESAMI and various peace conventions from the DRC to Angola.
Interim president Nwanne expressed profound gratitude to the SC Kangwa for the engagement on behalf of the LAA on the continent, an indication that the launch would be positive for diplomacy.
“We are grateful,” said Amb. Nwanne the immediate former Amb of Nigeria to Zambia.
SC Kangwa reaffirmed on record to the LAA that they would receive all the support they need to make the initiative a success: “because as you may know the President Mr Hakainde Hichilema wishes to make Zambia a shining example of continental diplomacy and beyond…that is one of his major wishes and we are here to see he realises that aspiration.”
Mr. Kangwa also observed that there was ‘too much experience and education’ in the LAA to be ignored.
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