Zambia’s Foreign Minister Urges Landlocked Nations to Embrace Innovative Development Strategies
Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Mulambo Haimbe, SC, MP, has called on Landlocked Least Developed Countries (LLDCs) to adopt bold and innovative approaches to development in order to overcome entrenched structural barriers and participate meaningfully in the global economy.
Speaking during a side event titled “Financing a New Decade of Development for LLDCs” at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, Spain, Hon. Haimbe emphasized the need for LLDCs to rise above geographic isolation, limited market access, infrastructure deficits, climate risks, and mounting debt burdens.
“LLDCs must not be left behind,” he asserted, urging nations to move from being landlocked to land-linked by strengthening regional cooperation and investing in transit corridors such as Zambia’s own participation in the Lobito Corridor project.
The Minister stressed the importance of mobilising accessible, predictable, and affordable financing, particularly through blended finance models that leverage both public and private investment to scale up development.
He also urged LLDCs to shift their development mindset from consumption to investment, and to prioritize local solutions that foster resilience against global shocks.
Zambia, he noted, is already taking action by advancing regional integration efforts and investing in trade facilitation infrastructure to ease cross-border commerce.
According to the United Nations, 32 LLDCs, home to over 606 million people, continue to face high transport costs and limited access to global markets—conditions that are further worsened by climate change and debt vulnerabilities.
Hon. Haimbe’s remarks echoed growing global concern for inclusive development, especially for countries with unique geographical and economic disadvantages, and offered Zambia’s path as a potential blueprint for other LLDCs seeking transformation through innovation, investment, and partnerships.
