The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Joseph Malanji, MP, wishes to inform the nation that His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu will be among regional Heads of State attending the BRICS Summit being held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26th-27th July 2018. The BRICS countries
BRICS is the acronym for an economic association of five major emerging national economies; Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The five BRICS countries represent over 3.1 billion people, or about 41% of the world population; four out of five members (excluding South Africa at #24) are in the top 10 of the world by population. They have a combined GDP (PPP) of around US$40.55 trillion (32% of World’s GDP PPP) and an estimated US$4.46 trillion in combined foreign reserves.
His Excellency the President is travelling to this important meeting in response to an official invitation to attend the BRICS Africa Outreach Program by the in-coming Chairperson of BRICS and the Summit’s host, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
On the sidelines of the Summit President Lungu will hold bilateral talks with Russian President, H.E. Vladmir Putin, Turkish President H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan among others.
The BRICS Africa Outreach Summit with African leaders seeks to ensure continuity from the 5th BRICS Summit held in The summit was held in Durban, South Africa in 2013 and to provide BRICS’ support for African industrialization and infrastructure development.
The sub-theme for the BRICS-AFRICA Outreach: BRICS in Africa: “Working towards the realization of the African Aspirations”.
Among the African Heads of States invited to attend the BRICS-Africa Outreach Dialogue are:
• Rwanda – as Chair of the African Union (AU);
• Senegal – as Chair of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC);
• Gabon – as Chair of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS);
• Uganda – as Chair of the East African Community (EAC);
• Ethiopia – as Chair of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD);
• Togo – as Chair of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS);
• Zambia – as incoming Chair of the SADC Organ on Defence, Politics.
• Namibia – as incoming Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC);
• Angola – as Chair of the SADC Organ;
• Egypt – as Chair of the Group of 77 (G77) + China,
• The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, and;
. All SADC Member States.