President Hakainde Hichilema is scheduled to undertake an official State Visit to Harare on 14 November 2025 at the invitation of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. This engagement will mark the inaugural session of the Zambia–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission (BNC), signalling a new phase of institutionalised bilateral cooperation between the two neighbouring nations. The visit is not only President Hichilema’s first to Zimbabwe since assuming office but also a significant moment in redefining regional integration mechanisms in Southern Africa through African-designed governance frameworks.
The Bi-National Commission replaces the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC), an older arrangement which, while functional, lacked the executive coordination now embedded in the BNC model. By elevating this partnership to the highest level of statecraft, the Commission will serve as a key forum for the Heads of State to directly oversee the implementation of joint initiatives, policy frameworks, and long-term strategies that are designed to deliver mutual development outcomes.
According to a formal release from Zambia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Commission will concentrate on strengthening cooperation in strategically significant sectors including energy generation and transmission, cross-border trade facilitation, water resource management, and integrated transport infrastructure. The BNC is expected to foster a more harmonised policy environment between the two countries, aimed at maximising the potential of shared assets such as the Kariba Dam and Victoria Falls, which are not only bilateral interests but regional commons within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) landscape.
The BNC process will formally commence on 12 November with a Meeting of Senior Officials, followed by a Ministerial Meeting on 13 November, setting the technical groundwork for the presidential-level discussions. These early sessions will finalise legal documentation and operational frameworks that will underpin the Commission’s work, ensuring that agreements are undergirded by well-developed and technically sound foundations.
Beyond sectoral priorities, the Commission will also deliberate on regional peace and security, cross-border law enforcement cooperation, cultural exchange programmes, and environmental conservation. Such a multidimensional agenda reflects a broad understanding of development that moves beyond economic indicators to include social cohesion, institutional synergy, and regional stability. This approach aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and reflects the aspirations of a region seeking to define its own priorities and solutions outside of externally imposed paradigms.
While the outcomes of the BNC will be led by national interests, both governments have repeatedly affirmed that these efforts are intended to contribute to broader continental objectives, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan. The BNC’s vision is therefore one of embedded sovereignty—one that recognises the interdependence of African states without undermining their agency.
President Hichilema’s diplomatic overture signals a continuation of his administration’s active role in regional engagement. Since assuming office in 2021, he has championed pragmatic economic diplomacy, drawing attention to the importance of cross-border cooperation in achieving inclusive growth. Zimbabwe, similarly, has identified regional partnerships as crucial to unlocking infrastructural deficits and expanding economic participation across sectors.
Zimbabwe and Zambia’s shared colonial history, their co-ownership of transboundary natural and built assets, and their geographic positioning in Southern Africa place them in a unique position to develop models of partnership that reflect African priorities and capabilities. The Bi-National Commission seeks to leverage these historic and geographic connections to formalise a long-standing, albeit fragmented, relationship into one that is structurally cooperative, economically integrated, and politically aligned.
It is anticipated that the outcomes of the inaugural session will include commitments to fast-track energy connectivity projects, upgrade shared rail and road corridors, and ease trade protocols at border points such as Chirundu and Victoria Falls. These efforts aim to reduce transaction costs for traders and businesses operating across the region and enhance resilience in supply chains critical for landlocked states like Zambia.
In contrast to externally driven donor frameworks, the Zambia–Zimbabwe BNC represents an endogenous policy approach—one that asserts African autonomy in shaping and implementing inter-state agreements. It does not rely on external intermediaries to validate its importance; rather, its significance is rooted in the political will of African leaders to collaborate for the benefit of their own peoples.
As such, this initiative is not merely a diplomatic formality. It is an assertion of the legitimacy and potential of African-led governance mechanisms to address the continent’s challenges with solutions grounded in context, capacity, and solidarity. The Southern African region, while confronted with economic, environmental, and political complexities, continues to craft institutions like the BNC that aim to navigate those challenges collectively—reflecting a continent increasingly confident in its ability to chart its own future.
