Zambia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Albert Mateyo Chifita, on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on KRIF Ghana Limited, underscoring growing diplomatic and economic engagement between the two African nations ahead of the upcoming Regal Influence Summit.
Ambassador Chifita, accompanied by Mr. Joseph Njekwa, first secretary for political affairs at the Zambian High Commission, met with officials of the KRIF Foundation, a subsidiary of KRIF Ghana Limited and organizer of the summit. The meeting was held at the company’s offices in Accra on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
KRIF Ghana hosted the discussions, which were attended by Awura Adjoa Okosun, Managing Director of KRIF Foundation; Victor Satuh, consultant; Mark Barnor Adom Jr., KRIF Foundation team lead; and Moses Rajaab Ssenkuba, consultant.
Talks centered on the importance of the Regal Influence Summit as a platform for collaboration, learning and the exchange of ideas among African leaders, entrepreneurs and policymakers. Both sides expressed optimism about strong in-person participation of the Zambian President His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema at the upcoming event.
Speaking during the meeting, Rev. Kennedy Okosun, Executive Chairman,of KRIF Ghana Limited, said the organization has always maintained a pan-African and global outlook.
“For us, it is not out of place to say we look forward to seeing the president of Zambia here, because we’ve always had a wider outlook than the geopolitical entity where we are domiciled,” Rev. Okosun said.
Referencing Integrity Magazine, published by KRIF Media, Rev. Okosun highlighted the group’s longstanding engagement with diplomacy and governance. Each edition, he said, features interviews with ambassadors and showcases KRIF’s activities, pointing to a past issue that included an interview with the former German ambassador to Ghana and a feature on then–Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, now secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Rev. Okosun explained that KRIF Foundation serves as the corporate social responsibility arm of KRIF Ghana Limited, focusing on education, public enlightenment and problem-solving rather than conventional philanthropy.
“Some institutions plow back profit to society by sponsoring beauty contests or drilling boreholes,” he said. “We believe in educating the public, in enlightenment, and in bringing solutions to what may appear to be teething problems. We are a transformation agent.”
He described the foundation’s work as “subtle advocacy” aimed at positive change through dialogue, idea-sharing and implementation, rather than protest or confrontation.
“It requires ideas to transform society, and there are no ideas domiciled in one individual,” Okosun said. “It is cross-fertilization and cross-pollination that brings value.”
From a trade and international relations perspective, Rev. Okosun said the Regal Influence Summit seeks to establish benchmarks for political leadership and expand intra-African trade. He noted that African economies must do more business among themselves to drive sustainable growth.
He also cited Ghana’s recent flagship agricultural initiative, “nkuko nkitinkiti,” which promotes poultry farming. Zambia’s expertise in poultry production, he said, presents an opportunity for collaboration that could be advanced through the summit.
Following the meeting, Chifita described the engagement as critical for both Ghana and Zambia.
“Changing ideas is very important for us as Africans,” he said. “Cross-pollination of ideas strengthens our economies. There is no need for us to depend on foreign economies when we can trade among ourselves.”
He said Zambia hopes to participate in the summit at the highest level, noting that a presidential visit would include business leaders and captains of industry whose engagement could benefit both countries.
“The political economy has grown,” Chifita said. “Now we need economic diplomacy to change the standard of living of our people. We are interested in resetting our economy, just as Ghana is doing.”
Confirming Zambia’s interest in the summit, he added that the meeting effectively gave “the green light” for deeper diplomatic, economic and cultural engagement through the platform.
The meeting ended on a positive note, with both delegations expressing high satisfaction and optimism about future collaboration through the Regal Influence Summit.
By Kingsley Asiedu
