ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / RankWire.AI / – UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema in Abu Dhabi on September 29. Their talks focused on trade, investment, renewable energy and infrastructure cooperation. The leaders also reviewed negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and Zambia. Hichilema made the visit weeks after starting his second presidential term. The meeting continued a series of high-level contacts between the two governments during 2026.
Sheikh Mohamed congratulated Hichilema on his new term and discussed the long-standing relationship between their countries. Both leaders reviewed opportunities to deepen cooperation in economic development and diversification. They also addressed ways to expand links between government institutions and private companies. The UAE and Zambia have maintained diplomatic relations for more than five decades. Officials have increasingly focused recent talks on investment, mining, energy, infrastructure and broader commercial ties.
Hichilema’s visit also included the Zambia-UAE Business Forum in Abu Dhabi. Zambia’s State House said participants signed memoranda of understanding worth a combined $2.14 billion. The agreements covered several sectors, although officials did not publish a complete project-by-project breakdown. Hichilema also discussed increasing bilateral trade through a comprehensive economic partnership framework. The proposed UAE-Zambia CEPA remained under negotiation during the presidential meeting, with no signing date announced.
CEPA talks remain part of wider economic engagement
The two governments described the proposed CEPA as a framework for expanding economic cooperation across public and private sectors. Negotiations had not concluded by September 30, and neither side released final tariff schedules or detailed provisions. The trade talks accompany broader discussions covering renewable energy, infrastructure, mining and investment. Sheikh Mohamed and Hichilema addressed those sectors during their Abu Dhabi meeting. Officials from both countries had also discussed similar priorities during earlier exchanges this year.
In March, UAE Minister of State Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan met Hichilema in Lusaka. Their discussions covered trade, investment, mining and renewable energy. Sheikh Shakhboot later returned to Zambia for Hichilema’s September inauguration and conveyed greetings from the UAE president. Those meetings added to continuing government contact before the Abu Dhabi visit. Zambia has also promoted investment partnerships with Gulf countries while pursuing new commercial agreements and infrastructure projects.
Copper investment adds depth to UAE-Zambia ties
Mining already forms a significant part of UAE-linked investment in Zambia. Abu Dhabi-based International Resources Holding acquired a 51% stake in Mopani Copper Mines in 2024. ZCCM Investments Holdings retained the remaining 49% interest. International Resources Holding said in July 2025 that it had invested more than $1.1 billion in Mopani since taking control. Mopani operates mining and processing assets in Zambia’s Copperbelt, including facilities at Nkana and Mufulira.
The September meeting placed the UAE-Zambia economic relationship at the center of the bilateral agenda. Sheikh Mohamed and Hichilema discussed trade, infrastructure, renewable energy and development cooperation alongside the continuing CEPA negotiations. Zambia’s announcement of $2.14 billion in memoranda gave the visit a separate commercial component. The CEPA itself remained unsigned as of September 30. Neither government announced a completion date, while official discussions continued to cover investment and business cooperation between the two countries.