{"id":1108,"date":"2026-06-19T14:22:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/?p=1108"},"modified":"2026-06-19T14:22:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:22:56","slug":"consul-general-joins-african-group-of-consuls-general-for-first-meeting-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/?p=1108","title":{"rendered":"Consul General Joins African Group of Consuls General for First Meeting of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Consul General Joins African Group of Consuls General for First Meeting of 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>June 2026\u00a0 \u00b7\u00a0 Dubai, UAE<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1109\" src=\"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Members of the African Group of Consuls General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates gather for their first meeting of 2026, hosted by the Consulate General of Ghana.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Consul General H.E. Mr. Richard Chinyama Njolomba joined fellow African heads of mission for the first meeting of 2026 of the African Group of Consuls General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates \u2014 a well-attended gathering marking his first engagement with the group.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting brought together Consuls General from across the African continent for wide-ranging discussions, united by a shared conviction: that Africa\u2019s collective voice in the United Arab Emirates is strongest when it speaks as one. The gathering was hosted by the Consulate General of the Republic of Ghana, with the Consulate General of the Republic of Cameroon \u2014 chair and current dean of the group \u2014 presiding.<\/p>\n<p>Deliberations spanned the importance of African unity \u2014 both as a formal group and as a wider community in the UAE \u2014 alongside practical questions of how to make consular services more relevant and responsive to African nationals, and how Africa can best leverage the growing economic and commercial interest the continent is attracting in the region.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cPresenting African interests as a united and coordinated group will yield a longer and more impactful result than any individual approach.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This principle of coordinated engagement emerged as the group\u2019s primary objective. The Consuls General agreed that a unified front would serve African nations more effectively than acting alone \u2014 in consular matters, in trade and commercial diplomacy, and in the group\u2019s relationship with their UAE hosts.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting also reflected warmly on the African community\u2019s expression of solidarity with the UAE during a period of regional tension, which members regarded as a foundation for renewed goodwill and deeper friendship between Africa and the Emirates going forward.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1110\" src=\"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-meeting-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-meeting-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-meeting-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-meeting-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/consul-general-meeting.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Consuls General in discussion during the session.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The group formally welcomed its new members, among them the Zambian Consul General, who was attending for the first time. In keeping with the spirit of the gathering, the formal agenda gave way to genuine camaraderie \u2014 warmth, brotherly banter, and laughter shared during and after the session.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>First meeting of 2026 of the African Group of Consuls General in Dubai &amp; the Northern Emirates<\/li>\n<li>Hosted by the Consulate General of the Republic of Ghana<\/li>\n<li>Chaired by the Consulate General of the Republic of Cameroon, current dean of the group<\/li>\n<li>Unity and coordination affirmed as the group\u2019s primary objective<\/li>\n<li>Focus on more relevant consular services for African nationals<\/li>\n<li>Emphasis on leveraging Africa\u2019s growing economic and commercial interest in the region<\/li>\n<li>The Zambian Consul General welcomed as a new member<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There is clear optimism about what lies ahead. The group intends to be a genuine game-changer in the period to come \u2014 and the Consulate General of the Republic of Zambia is proud to add its voice to this collective effort, in keeping with its commitment to active, purposeful economic diplomacy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>DIPLOMACY<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT Consul General Joins African Group of Consuls General for First Meeting of 2026 June 2026\u00a0 \u00b7\u00a0 Dubai, UAE Members of the African Group of Consuls General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates gather for their first meeting of 2026, hosted by the Consulate General of Ghana. Consul General H.E. Mr. Richard Chinyama Njolomba [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dubai-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1108"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1111,"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108\/revisions\/1111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missions.grz.gov.zm\/dubai\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}