Angola defends greater financial cooperation momentum with Portugal

Angola’s finance minister said Tuesday in Luanda that her Portuguese counterpart’s visit will bring a new cycle of greater momentum to financial cooperation between the two countries.

“Much has already been done, we already have many Portuguese companies operating in Angola, in various fields, especially in civil engineering, but there is always an opportunity to do more and we believe that this visit gives an important impetus to what we want to do with this moment,” said Vera Daves de Souza on the sidelines of a visit to the construction work of the Muxima Sanctuary Project and the urban re-development of Muxima Village.

Vera Daves de Sousa said that the project is accessible not only to pilgrims and those who make religious tourism to the basilica, but also has the merit of retraining the village and providing infrastructure and better housing, a school, a medical center to the service of the townspeople. .

“This is a project that we understand will add value to this municipality and this village,” he stressed.

The Angolan official stressed that the project is divided into phases with a village re-qualification component, namely the repair of infrastructure, with Portuguese funding of around 150 million euros.

The other part of the project, which includes the basilica and additional infrastructure, is being financed by an Angolan bank with about 86 billion kwanza (159.4 million euros).

“The sum of these two components is what the overall project will give, and we are working simultaneously with two financiers so that the work also goes on simultaneously and is completed within the stipulated 36 months,” the minister stressed.

In turn, Portuguese Finance Minister Fernando Medina said that the work is part of an agreement between the two states that have partnerships to ensure the faster development of projects in Angola, to obtain the highest satisfaction. needs of the population with the participation of Portuguese companies.

“I was particularly impressed by what I saw and I would like to congratulate the government of Angola and my friend, the Minister of Finance, who set this priority, who moved forward with the projects that she implemented with a very important and positive vision. rehabilitation and revitalization of the area in this space, appreciating the social dimension, the practical quality of life, cultural and religious,” he said.

According to the Portuguese minister, the project is progressing well and consistently, expressing satisfaction that “Portugal is associated with this project.”

Fernando Medina emphasized that this project is part of a series of financial agreements between Portugal and Angola and already includes many other projects, some of which are more advanced in their implementation, while others are underway.

“What I will be discussing with Minister Vera is precisely the conditions for how we can ensure that funding, resources come in as quickly as possible, at the right time, at the right time, so that projects can be carried out faster to meet the needs of the population,” he stressed.

Portfolio owner Portugal Finance added that there is a guarantee line from the Portuguese state to Angola for the implementation of these projects.

130 kilometers from Luanda, in the village of Muxima, in the municipality of Kisama, there is the largest sanctuary in the country, the first stone of which for the urban rehabilitation of the village and the construction of the basilica was laid in July last year.

The work, carried out by a consortium of companies led by Casais Angola, is funded by BCP and Banco Português de Fomento and involves the construction of a basilica dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Conceicao in Vila da Muxima, commonly known as Sanctuary da Muxima. or Mama Muxima.