Zambia and Israel Deepen Cooperation in Innovation, Skills and Advanced Technology
Zambia and Israel have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in innovation, skills development and advanced technology, following a high-level meeting between Minister of Technology and Science, Hon. Felix Mutati, MP, and Israel’s Ambassador to Zambia, Her Excellency Ofra Farhi.
During the meeting, Hon. Mutati underscored Zambia’s determination to build a dynamic innovation ecosystem, drawing inspiration from Israel’s globally recognised success in entrepreneurship, creativity and technological advancement.
He emphasised the importance of mentorship and capacity-building initiatives to support young Zambian entrepreneurs establishing new businesses, noting that follow-up engagements with Israeli counterparts are scheduled later this month to operationalise the collaboration.
The Minister also revived discussions on satellite technology, an area previously explored two years ago, and highlighted plans to advance cooperation through Zambia’s Remote Sensing Centre under the Ministry of Technology and Science.
He said strengthening collaboration in space-based technologies would enhance national development planning and service delivery.
Hon. Mutati further outlined Zambia’s strategic focus on developing relevant and innovative skills aligned with national development priorities. He cited the country’s ambition to scale up copper production to three million tonnes as one of the goals requiring a highly skilled, technologically proficient workforce.
He added that similar specialised skills are critical to addressing Zambia’s energy deficit and modernising the agricultural sector.
Highlighting Israel’s achievements in agriculture, the Minister noted the high productivity attained on relatively small-scale farms through the use of advanced technologies, observing that Zambia stands to benefit significantly from knowledge exchange and technology transfer in this area.
He concluded that the envisaged partnership is anchored in mutual benefit, with a clear emphasis on measurable outcomes, youth empowerment, capacity enhancement and sustainable economic growth.
Ambassador Ofra Farhi welcomed the proposed areas of cooperation and expressed Israel’s strong support for partnerships in capacity building, technology development, mentorship of young entrepreneurs, satellite innovation and cybersecurity.
She said Israel has considerable expertise in these fields and is keen to share its experience with Zambia.
The Ambassador also pointed to renewed momentum in bilateral relations following the opening of embassies and high-level presidential exchanges, noting growing interest within Israel to deepen engagement with Zambia through practical cooperation programmes aligned with Zambia’s development priorities.
Describing the partnership as a “win-win” opportunity, H.E. Farhi reaffirmed Israel’s readiness to work closely with the Ministry of Technology and Science and other stakeholders, expressing optimism that the forthcoming follow-up meeting would help refine and advance concrete areas of collaboration.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared resolve of both countries to translate diplomatic goodwill into tangible development outcomes through strategic partnerships in innovation, skills development and advanced technology.
