ZAMBIA is looking forward to signing a News Exchange Cooperation Agreement with Sudan, ambassador to that country Francis Simenda has said.

The agreement will be signed between Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) and the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA).

Mr Simenda said the News Cooperation Agreement between ZANIS and SUNA would create a platform aimed at increasing the flow of news and information between the two countries.

He was speaking when he presented his credentials to Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad al- Bashir at State House in Khartoum on Wednesday as ambassador on non-resident basis.

He is resident in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia where he is Zambian Ambassador.

Mr Simenda said the agreement would enable citizens in the two countries to be well informed about the various developmental programmes in various sectors.

And Mr Simenda has praised the Sudanese government for awarding 24 Zambian students with scholarships to study in some of that country's higher institutions of learning.

He said the skills which Zambian students would acquire in different fields would greatly contribute to the country's social and economic development.

He said the Zambian Government was grateful for the scholarships and that such assistance would contribute to strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries.

Last week, Mr Simenda presented his credentials to Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, as he also covers the Islamic nation.