Zambia, Tanzania to further strengthen bilateral ties

The Fourth Session of the Tanzania – Zambia Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security, held from February 23rd to February 27th, 2026, has concluded following a review of security-related issues of mutual interest between the two countries. The Commission noted that the weaponisation of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), space assets, and cybersecurity, as well as various organised crimes in the region, remain a significant concern. This was stated in a joint communique signed by the two Defence Ministers, Zambian Acting Minister of Defence, Jack Mwiimbu, who is Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, and Tanzania’s Minister of Defence and National Service, Rhimo Nyansaho.

The communique, which was issued to ZANIS by the Commission, also indicated that the two countries agreed to continue cooperating through new strategies aimed at addressing security threats. The two nations further committed to ensuring that all outstanding and newly adopted resolutions during the fourth session are implemented promptly. The Zambian delegation further extended an invitation to Tanzania to participate in the fifth session of the Commission, which Tanzania accepted.

The next session is scheduled to be held in Zambia in February 2027, with exact dates to be announced later. Both countries expressed satisfaction with the current state of their bilateral relations and emphasised the need to further strengthen their strategic partnership. Tanzania and Zambia are both laggards in economic and human development index terms.Tis a big shame that the combined GDP of both nations would still be smaller than Kenya’s GDP plus their HDI index scores are both also lower.

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Zambians we need to have a serious introspection to see why we fall short. What strength in bilateral ties is there when Tanzania is a big conduit for illegal Ethiopian migrants crossing into Zambia? Tz is a potential threat to Zambia’s national security in that regard.

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