Zambia is hosting the 5th African Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference (ASELC) for the military personnel which has attracted 27 countries across the African continent and beyond.
Speaking when he officially opened the conference which has been hosted for the first time on the African continent, Zambia Army Lieutenant General Sitali Alibuzwi said the conference is designed to bring senior enlisted military leaders worldwide to discuss challenges and opportunities bordering the military services.
Lieutenant General Alibuzwi said issues ranging from crisis response, rule of law and protecting resources are some of the topics that will be discussed.
He added that other topics will include factors of instability, technology impacts and security cooperation among others.
Lieutenant General Alibuzwi has since urged both Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) from Zambia and other countries to effectively participate and ensure that the knowledge they will get is well applied.
He said the purpose of the conference is to strengthen partnerships across the continent hence the need for the participants to effectively participate.
Lieutenant General Alibuzwi has thanked the United States government for the continued collaboration with the Zambian government in training military personnel in the country.
He said hosting the leaders conference is a milestone to the country as a lot of knowledge and skills will be shared among military personnel.
“Hosting this big conference where over 25 countries from within Africa and across is not a small thing and Zambia has not taken this for granted. This means that let’s all work together and ensure that we discuss issues that will strengthen our military services in our respective countries.” He noted.
And the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Michael Langley announced that the United States government will provide helicopters to the Zambian Defence force.
General Langley said the helicopters that will be provided are meant to help military personnel in the country to effectively address natural disasters.
He said the United States government has noted the positive strides that the Zambian government has been making in addressing security issues in the country.
He stated that he is optimistic that the helicopters that will be provided will help in fighting some disasters.
He explained that even when choosing Zambia as a host for the conference, the committee recognized how the Zambian government has been fighting violence and promoting peace.
“Zambia and the US government have continued to partner in many areas including security issues, we train military personnel here in Zambia and we will continue to do that. And am happy to announce that the US government is going to provide helicopters to help address issues to do with disasters.” General Langley noted.
And Zambia Air Force Deputy Commander Major General Oscar Nyoni has thanked the US government for their plans to provide helicopters to the Zambia defence force.
Major General Nyoni said this will go a long way in addressing a number of issues such as disasters.
Meanwhile, United States Ambassador to Zambia Micheal Gonzales said Zambia and the US Army have been collaborating on a number of training programs for a long time.
The conference will run from the 10th to the 13th of September 2023.
