World Bank (WB) president Robert Zoellick will visit Zambia to assess the flood situation in an effort to establish what kind of assistance the country needs to mitigate the impact of the calamity, Zambia News and Information Services reported Friday.

Zoellick said his plans follows Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa's request for assistance towards mitigating the devastating effects of the floods.

The WB chief who attended the official opening of the 10th summit of the African Union (AU) on Thursday in Addis Ababa told Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) that when he leaves Ethiopia, he would travel to Zambia to assess the flood situation.

Zoellick said he looked to Zambia as a good partner and pledged to help mobilize support in form of concessional loans to be given free towards the country's economic development.

"Zambia has been disciplined in its fiscal management and its debt record has been good," Zoellick said.

Zoellick said that Zambia was making good progress on its economy but noted that the only challenge the country was faced with was how to utilize resources to develop for the future.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2008)