U.S. Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., Mich Coker's Remarks
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
4:40 - 6:30 p.m.
(As prepared for delivery)
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Good afternoon.
Honorable Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Zambia National Public Health Institute Director General Prof. Roma Chilengi and the ZNPHI leadership team, colleagues from the Zambia Defence Force and the U.S. Military Group, members of the media, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
It is a privilege to join you today as we officially hand over three mobile infectious disease laboratories to the Zambia National Public Health Institute.
This ceremony represents much more than the delivery of $1.6 million of innovative diagnostic equipment. It represents the strength of the enduring partnership between the United States and Zambia--a partnership rooted in mutual respect, shared goals, and a common commitment to protecting the health and well-being of our respective peoples.
For decades, the United States and Zambia have worked side by side to address some of the most pressing public health challenges facing this country and the wider region. Together, we have built stronger health systems, expanded access to life-saving services, strengthened disease surveillance, and improved the ability to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats.
Through initiatives such as PEPFAR, CDC partnerships, and military-to-military cooperation, the United States has invested significantly in Zambia's health sector. These investments reflect our belief that strong public health institutions save lives, strengthen communities, support economic growth, and contribute to national and regional security.
Today's handover is another important milestone in that shared journey.
The story of these laboratories began nearly two years ago with a simple but important objective: strengthening Zambia's ability to rapidly identify and respond to infectious disease outbreaks wherever they occur.
The project originated through the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid program following a request from Dr. Roma Chilengi and the Zambia National Public Health Institute for enhanced rapid-response capabilities. We listened, we worked together, and we began building a solution tailored to Zambia's needs.
As many of us know, developing specialized capabilities of this nature takes time. It requires planning, technical expertise, coordination across governments, and close collaboration with trusted partners. Throughout that process, Zambian and American teams worked together with a shared vision.
In 2025, Dr. Chilengi and a delegation traveled to Germany to inspect the laboratories during their final stages of development and to gain firsthand familiarity with their capabilities. More recently, the laboratories arrived in Zambia, ready to support the critical mission of protecting public health.
Today, we celebrate the culmination of that effort.
These mobile laboratories are remarkable assets.
They are designed to be rapidly deployed to locations where they are needed most. Whether responding to a disease outbreak in a remote district, supporting emergency response efforts after a natural disaster, or assisting with public health investigations, these laboratories bring advanced diagnostic capability directly to the field.
Within approximately two hours of their arrival at a deployment site, they can be fully operational. They are self-contained, highly mobile, and capable of functioning in austere environments. Equipped with approximately 20,000 critical items necessary for identifying, testing, reporting, and supporting the response to infectious diseases, they can operate independently for up to three weeks.
Most importantly, they dramatically reduce the time required to obtain critical diagnostic results.
When an outbreak occurs, time matters.
Every hour saved in identifying a disease can mean multiple lives saved. Faster diagnosis enables faster treatment, faster public health interventions, and faster protection of communities. These laboratories can help reduce diagnostic turnaround times to as little as one or two days, allowing health officials to make informed decisions more quickly and effectively.
That capability is especially important in a world where infectious diseases do not respect borders.
The lessons of recent years have reinforced a fundamental truth: health security is national security. An outbreak that begins in one community can quickly spread across districts, countries, and continents. Strengthening Zambia's ability to detect and respond to emerging health threats contributes not only to the health of the Zambian people, but also to the health security of the region and the world.
These laboratories will help ensure that public health experts can reach outbreaks rather than waiting for outbreaks to reach them.
The laboratories will expand the operational reach of ZNPHI. They will strengthen surveillance and response capacity. They will support frontline health workers and public health professionals. And they will help bring advanced laboratory capability closer to the communities that need it most.
Most importantly, they will help save lives.
I would like to recognize the leadership of Dr. Roma Chilengi and the entire Zambia National Public Health Institute team. Your vision, dedication, and commitment to strengthening Zambia's public health system have been instrumental in bringing this project to fruition.
Partnerships succeed because of people. Today's handover is but a small example of what we can achieve when we work together toward a common purpose.
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As we hand over these laboratories, we also look toward the future.
The United States remains committed to supporting Zambia's efforts to build resilient health systems and strengthen public health preparedness.
Our 62-year partnership is grounded in mutual respect and continues to advance the shared interests of our two nations. Together, we will create a future in which outbreaks are detected earlier, responses are faster, communities are better protected, and health institutions are stronger.
These laboratories are now part of Zambia's growing public health infrastructure. Their true value, of course, will be measured not by the technology they represent, but by the benefits they deliver to the Zambian people--the families protected from disease, the communities safeguarded from outbreaks, and the health professionals empowered to respond more effectively when challenges arise.
The United States is honored to stand alongside Zambia in this important work.
On behalf of the United States Government and the American people, I am proud to officially hand over these three mobile infectious disease laboratories to the Zambia National Public Health Institute.
May they serve the people of Zambia well. May they strengthen public health preparedness across the nation. And may they stand as a lasting symbol of the friendship and partnership between the United States and Zambia.
Thank you very much.
