President Hakainde Hichilema has written to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed after Ethiopia’s parliament returned him for a new five-year term, pledging closer cooperation between Lusaka and Addis Ababa.
Key takeaways
- President Hichilema has congratulated Abiy Ahmed on his re-election as Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
- Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives re-elected Mr Abiy on 5 October 2026, after June national elections gave his Prosperity Party a decisive majority.
- The message describes relations founded on mutual respect and African solidarity, and commits Zambia to advancing cooperation for shared prosperity.
- Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country, hosts the African Union headquarters and is home to Ethiopian Airlines, which links Lusaka to Addis Ababa.
- The message names no specific project or agreement, so the economic test will be what follows it.
President Hakainde Hichilema has congratulated Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on his re-election to lead Ethiopia, in a message addressed to “my dear brother” that commits Zambia to closer cooperation with Africa’s second most populous country.
Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives re-elected Mr Abiy as Prime Minister on 5 October 2026, at the first sitting of the parliament chosen in the June national elections. His ruling Prosperity Party, which nominated him, won a decisive parliamentary majority, and the new term runs for five years.
The message in full
Your Excellency Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, my dear brother,
On behalf of the Government and people of Zambia, and on my own behalf, I warmly congratulate you on your re-election as Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Zambia cherishes the cordial relations between our peoples and governments, founded on mutual respect and African solidarity. We look forward to strengthening these enduring ties and advancing cooperation for our shared prosperity.
I wish you every success in your new term.
Hakainde Hichilema
President of the Republic of Zambia
What the message says, and what it leaves for later
The letter follows the usual form of congratulations between heads of state. It rests on two ideas: relations “founded on mutual respect and African solidarity”, and a commitment to “advancing cooperation for our shared prosperity”.
It names no project, agreement or planned visit. That is normal for messages of this kind. The practical content of a bilateral relationship usually arrives later, through ministerial visits, joint commission meetings and trade or investment agreements.
Why Ethiopia matters to Zambia
Air links
Ethiopian Airlines connects Lusaka with Addis Ababa, a hub for onward flights to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. For Zambian exporters of perishable goods and for business travellers, that connection shapes the cost and speed of reaching distant markets. In 2018, Ethiopian Airlines was named as a partner, with a 45 percent stake, in the Government’s plan to relaunch Zambia Airways.
Regional trade
Both countries belong to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and are parties to the African Continental Free Trade Area. Those frameworks give Zambian firms a route into a domestic market of more than 120 million people, though trade between the two countries remains small relative to that potential.
Continental diplomacy
Addis Ababa hosts the African Union Commission and the UN Economic Commission for Africa. Many of the continental negotiations that affect Zambia, from debt and climate finance to trade rules, run through the Ethiopian capital, which makes a good working relationship with the host government useful.
A development comparison
Ethiopia has used state-backed industrial parks to attract manufacturers and create factory jobs. Zambia is pursuing a similar idea through its multi-facility economic zones under the Grow Zambia Agenda, so Ethiopia’s experience, including its setbacks, is a relevant reference point for Lusaka.
Part of a busy diplomatic calendar
The message comes in a period of heavy diplomatic traffic for State House. After President Hichilema’s own re-election in August, leaders from 31 countries and five global institutions sent congratulations. Late last month he travelled to Abu Dhabi, where he took the Grow Zambia pitch to the UAE as that relationship moved toward investment deals.
Goodwill between capitals is a starting point. As we argued in our look at the economic and diplomatic tests of the second term, the measure of Zambia’s foreign relations is whether they produce trade, investment and jobs at home.
What to watch
- Follow-up contact: whether a ministerial visit or bilateral commission meeting between Zambia and Ethiopia is scheduled in the coming months.
- Aviation: any new air services arrangements or additional routes between the two countries.
- Trade: whether Zambian exporters use COMESA and AfCFTA preferences to reach the Ethiopian market.
For now, the message does what such messages are meant to do: it keeps the relationship warm at the start of Mr Abiy’s new term. Whether it turns into something Zambian businesses can use depends on the contact that follows.
More from our Economic Diplomacy coverage. Related: Egypt’s El-Sisi Congratulates Hichilema, Seeks Deeper Zambia Ties.
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