From XAVIER MANCHISHI In ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA –
PRESIDENT Michael Sata says Zambia has made positive strides in eradicating malaria.
Speaking during a meeting with Roll Back Malaria (RBM) executive director Fatoumata Nafo-Traore on the sidelines of the ongoing 22nd session of the African Union (AU) summit, Mr Sata said Zambia had tackled malaria by destroying breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
The President said previously malaria cases were alarming in Zambia with many deaths among children but that Government had targeted rural areas which were the most affected by malaria.
The President who was accompanied to the meeting by Agriculture and Livestock Minister Bob Sichinga said there was need for a new approach in the fight against malaria which would  involve the mobilisation of funds.
The President later met an eight-man Japanese delegation led by parliament senior vice-minister for Foreign Affairs Norio Mitsuya with whom they discussed a wide range of Japanese investments in Zambia.
Mr Sata also attended a state banquet at Sheraton hosted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn in honour of the visiting Heads of State and Government attending the AU summit.
Meanwhile, Mr Sata on Thursday held a closed door bilateral meeting with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) director general, Jose Grazanio Da Silva.
According to a statement issued here yesterday by the President’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations, George Chellah, the meeting discussed several aspects of FAO’s contribution to national, regional and world efforts to improve food security and other related matters of mutual interest.
During the meeting, President Sata invited Dr Da Silva to Zambia for an on-the-spot check of the various programmes FAO is supporting in the country.
Dr Da Silva expressed gratitude to President Sata for the efforts being made to achieve mutual cooperation and benefit between Zambia and FAO.