Zambia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Albert Mateyo Chifita, on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on KRIF Ghana Limited, underscoring growing diplomatic and economic engagement between the two African nations ahead of the upcoming Regal Influence Summit.
Ambassador Chifita, accompanied by Mr. Joseph Njekwa, first
secretary for political affairs at the Zambian High Commission, met with
officials of the KRIF Foundation, a subsidiary of KRIF Ghana Limited and
organizer of the summit. The meeting was held at the company’s offices in Accra
on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
KRIF Ghana hosted the discussions, which were attended by Awura
Adjoa Okosun, Managing Director of KRIF Foundation; Victor Satuh, consultant;
Mark Barnor Adom Jr., KRIF Foundation team lead; and Moses Rajaab Ssenkuba,
consultant.
Talks centered on the importance of the Regal Influence Summit
as a platform for collaboration, learning and the exchange of ideas among
African leaders, entrepreneurs and policymakers. Both sides expressed optimism
about strong in-person participation of the Zambian President His Excellency
Hakainde Hichilema at the upcoming event.
Speaking during the meeting, Rev. Kennedy Okosun, Executive
Chairman,of KRIF Ghana Limited, said the organization has always maintained a
pan-African and global outlook.
“For us, it is not out of place to say we look forward to seeing
the president of Zambia here, because we’ve always had a wider outlook than the
geopolitical entity where we are domiciled,” Rev. Okosun said.
Referencing Integrity Magazine, published by KRIF Media, Rev.
Okosun highlighted the group’s longstanding engagement with diplomacy and
governance. Each edition, he said, features interviews with ambassadors and
showcases KRIF’s activities, pointing to a past issue that included an
interview with the former German ambassador to Ghana and a feature on
then–Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, now secretary-general of the
Commonwealth of Nations.
Rev. Okosun explained that KRIF Foundation serves as the
corporate social responsibility arm of KRIF Ghana Limited, focusing on
education, public enlightenment and problem-solving rather than conventional
philanthropy.
“Some institutions plow back profit to society by sponsoring beauty contests or
drilling boreholes,” he said. “We believe in educating the public, in
enlightenment, and in bringing solutions to what may appear to be teething
problems. We are a transformation agent.”
He described the foundation’s work as “subtle advocacy” aimed at
positive change through dialogue, idea-sharing and implementation, rather than
protest or confrontation.
“It requires ideas to transform society, and there are no ideas
domiciled in one individual,” Okosun said. “It is cross-fertilization and
cross-pollination that brings value.”
From a trade and international relations perspective, Rev.
Okosun said the Regal Influence Summit seeks to establish benchmarks for
political leadership and expand intra-African trade. He noted that African
economies must do more business among themselves to drive sustainable growth.
He also cited Ghana’s recent flagship agricultural initiative,
“nkuko nkitinkiti,” which promotes poultry farming. Zambia’s expertise in
poultry production, he said, presents an opportunity for collaboration that
could be advanced through the summit.
Following the meeting, Chifita described the engagement as
critical for both Ghana and Zambia.
“Changing ideas is very important for us as Africans,” he said.
“Cross-pollination of ideas strengthens our economies. There is no need for us
to depend on foreign economies when we can trade among ourselves.”
He said Zambia hopes to participate in the summit at the highest
level, noting that a presidential visit would include business leaders and
captains of industry whose engagement could benefit both countries.
“The political economy has grown,” Chifita said. “Now we need
economic diplomacy to change the standard of living of our people. We are
interested in resetting our economy, just as Ghana is doing.”
Confirming Zambia’s interest in the summit, he added that the
meeting effectively gave “the green light” for deeper diplomatic, economic and
cultural engagement through the platform.
The meeting ended on a positive note, with both delegations
expressing high satisfaction and optimism about future collaboration through
the Regal Influence Summit.
By Kingsley Asiedu
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