The Prime Minister of Portugal is starting an official visit to Angola this Monday, during which a new cooperation program will be signed until 2027, and a credit line for businesses will be increased to two billion euros.
At the very beginning of his two-day official visit, at 11:00 am (same time as in Lisbon), shortly after landing in Luanda, Angolan President João Lourenço will receive Antonio Costa.
On a political level, the Portuguese chief executive claims that Portuguese-Angolan relations are “at a very high level”, while the Angolan head of state said in a recent interview with Agência Lusa and the Expresso newspaper that bilateral relations “have never been the same just like now.”
“We need to increase Portuguese investment in Angola and wherever possible,” defended João Lourenço.
By the end of the morning, the governments of Lisbon and Luanda had signed more than a dozen agreements.
From this set of agreements, the Portuguese government highlights the Strategic Cooperation Program (PEC) for 2023-2027, the strengthening of the Portugal-Angola credit line from 1.5 to 2 billion euros and the memorandum of understanding between the Sines and Algarve Port Authority and the Barra do Dande.
The PEC for 2023-2027, according to António Costa, represents “a concrete sign of the strengthening of cooperation between the two friendly countries at a very important moment in Portuguese-Angolan relations.” And an increase in the credit line for businesses from 1.5 billion euros to 2 billion euros will serve as “a response to President Joao Lourenço’s desire for Portugal to contribute to the diversification of the Angolan economy.”
In Luanda, the Portuguese Executive will be accompanied by Ministers of Finance Fernando Medina, Foreign Affairs, Joao Gomes Cravinho, Economy, António Costa Silva, Agriculture, Maria do Seu Antunes and the Secretary of State. Foreign Affairs, Francis André.
In economic matters, the Portuguese side is committed to new areas of investment and cooperation, such as water and energy, engineering and construction, agriculture, tourism, the pharmaceutical industry, education or the textile industry.
This afternoon, after having lunch with Joao Lourenço, the Prime Minister visits companies in the Viana industrial area and ends the day with a reception attended by businessmen present in the Angolan market.
According to a statement from the Department of Institutional Communications and Press of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Angola has been ranked 9th among the main clients of Portugal since 2019.
“The past few years have seen a significant upward trend in partnerships between countries, with bilateral trade flows exceeding pre-pandemic levels,” the statement said.
According to the same source, “It is estimated that there are more than 1,200 companies with Portuguese or mixed capital operating in Angola in areas as diverse and important as civil engineering and infrastructure, agri-food industry, agro-industry, banking, insurance, metalworking, information and communication technology, energy, healthcare and transport and logistics”.
Author: Portuguese This morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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