Africa-Press – Angola. The Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, speaks at the National Assembly, in Luanda, in a solemn session devoted to his four-day State visit to Angola, the program of which begins this Friday.
The Brazilian statesman has been in the Angolan capital since Thursday night, after anticipating his arrival in Luanda initially scheduled for Friday.
Coming from South Africa, where he participated, from the 22nd to the 24th of this month, in the 15th summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), Lula da Silva visits Angola within the framework of strengthening bilateral cooperation and ties historical differences between the two countries.
His agenda in Luanda also includes a meeting, this same Friday, with his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, and the laying of a wreath on the sarcophagus of the first President of Angola, António Agostinho Neto.
On the same day, he will also visit the Memorial Dr. António Agostinho Neto, and sign the Book of Honour, before witnessing the signing of several cooperation agreements at the end of official talks between the delegations of both countries.
Lula da Silva’s day program in Angola culminates with the closing of the Angola-Brazil Economic Forum, with the presence of the two heads of state.
On Saturday, the last day of his visit, President Lula will travel, before his return, to the Casa da Cultura do Brasil (next to the Museum of Anthropology), as well as the inauguration of Espaço Ovídio de Melo, where he will hold a meeting with the community Brazilian resident in Angola.
As part of this visit, at least 11 cooperation agreements will be signed.
These are agreements in the areas of agriculture, health, inclusive education, transport, creation of small and medium-sized companies, processing, treatment and transfer of public administration data, as well as reciprocal support for candidacies in international institutions.
The information was provided this Wednesday, in Luanda, by the Brazilian ambassador to Angola, Rafael de Mello Vidal, after a working meeting with the president of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira.
The Brazilian entourage is made up of 500 businessmen, of which around 170 are Brazilian members of the presidential entourage.
Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, who took over the leadership of the Brazilian State in January of this year, after directing the government between 2003 and 2011, has repeatedly expressed interest in bringing Brazil closer to the African continent.
Recently, Lula da Silva recalled that Brazil owes much of its culture to Africa, considering “a debt that cannot be paid with money”, but “with the exchange of Science and Technology”, because, “in help, Brazil can give , from the point of view of knowledge in various areas”.
History of Brazil/Angola relations
Brazil was the first country to recognize Angola’s independence, in November 1975. Its embassy in Luanda was created by decree in December of the same year.
Five years later, in 2010, bilateral relations were elevated to the level of a strategic partnership, with the aim of providing joint benefits.
Currently, Angola is home to the largest Brazilian community on the African continent, estimated at around 27,000 people, followed by South Africa, with 3,000.
However, the interest of Angolans in visiting, studying and working in Brazil has made the Embassy in Luanda the second largest post in the Brazilian consular network abroad in terms of visa granting.
In 1980, Angola and Brazil signed the General Agreement on Economic, Technical-Scientific and Cultural Cooperation, which formed the fundamental basis for the development of cooperation between the two countries.
Over the subsequent years, Angola and Brazil signed various legal instruments, among agreements, conventions and protocols, which have reinforced the diversification of their relations.
The two countries maintain excellent cooperation relations in various areas, with particular emphasis on Politics, Diplomacy, Economy, Defence, Transport, Culture and Business.
In the field of health, the Brazilian Government is interested in expanding the pilot project for the implantation and implementation of the Human Milk Bank, inaugurated in November 2019 at Maternidade Lucrécia Paim and other projects in the area of training doctors in cardiology and fight against leprosy.
Brazil is also “at an advanced stage of negotiating a memorandum of cooperation in sustainable tourism, which will promote business partnerships and Brazilian investments that promote the development of the tourism sector in Angola, with environmental sustainability counterparts and to the benefit of local communities” .
In the field of agriculture, Brazil wants to replicate its model of agricultural development in Angola and help the country to become an agricultural superpower.
Commercial partnership
Angola is one of Brazil’s main trading partners on the African continent.
In 2021, Brazilian exports to Angola reached US$408 million and imports, US$169 million.
Exports from Brazil to Angola include meat (15%), refined sugar (10%) and road vehicles (10%). Imports, on the other hand, consist of oil (72%) and natural gas (27%).
Brazilian investment in Angola reached US$612 million by the end of 2020, according to data from the Central Bank.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
