PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the 39th ordinary session of the assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union scheduled for February 14th and 15th, 2026.
A busy schedule awaits President Hichilema as he will also attend several other events and bilateral meetings during his three-day stay in Addis Ababa.
The aircraft carrying Mr Hichilema touched down at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa this afternoon.
The President, who is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe and Minister of Water Development and Sanitation, Collins Nzovu, will attend the second edition of the Italy-Africa summit, which will be hosted by Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy today.
On Saturday February 14, the Head of State is expected to attend the 35th high-level side event on Accelerating Action to End Child Marriage in Africa and a high-level launch of the Presidential Champion’s Report, which will be hosted by Zambia, in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations (UN).
The Head of State will further attend the opening ceremony of the 39th ordinary session of the assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union where the 2026 AU theme of the year, will be launched.
This year’s AU theme is “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of the Agenda 2063”.
There will also be a bilateral meeting between President Hichilema and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Russell Dlamini and another one with the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima Mustapha.
In the afternoon tomorrow, President Hichilema will attend a meeting of the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10) Heads of State and Government on the reform of the United Nations Security Council.
He is later expected to attend a bilateral meeting with the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa.
The President will also have a bilateral meeting with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Executive Secretary, Claver Gatete before having another bilateral engagement with the Executive Secretary for AUDA-NEPAD, Nardos Bekele-Thomas.
On February 15th, President Hichilema will begin his day by attending the high-level breakfast and leadership dialogue under the theme “Achieve Africa 2.0: launching Africa’s Research and Development Engine for Vaccine and Therapeutic Sovereignty, co-hosted by Zambia, the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (AFRICA CDC).
On the same day, the President will attend the high level breakfast consultations on the future of the United Nations and the election of the next Secretary General, before having another high-level breakfast side event of the African Union and the Africa Water Investment Programme (AU-AIP) hosted by the President of South Africa, in his capacity as co-Chairs of the African Union.
The President is also expected to meet representatives of Zambians in the diaspora resident in Ethiopia on Sunday.
Mr Hichilema is expected to conclude his schedule on Sunday evening.
