Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan President and Chairman of the African Union, João Lourenço, said Sunday in Rio de Janeiro that African nations find within the BRICS an opportunity to address issues related to financing the continent development and building the necessary infrastructure to respond to the challenges they face.
Speaking at the 17th BRICS Summit, as a guest, the Head of State underlined that the countries of the Global South have, for decades, called for their inclusion in the discussion and decision-making processes on global development factors, with fairness, balance and sensitivity to their fundamental concerns, without, to date, have been fully heard.
According to João Lourenço, Africa needs funding to overcome the various obstacles that condition the implementation of structuring projects in the fields of agriculture, health, education, science and technology, energy, transport, telecommunications, among other key sectors.
He stressed that these sectors are essential pillars for the sustainable development of African nations and that to give them due prominence, the African Union decided to organize, next October, in Angola, an international conference on the theme “Infrastructure as a Development Factor in Africa”.
He explained that the event intents to attract partnerships interested in getting involved with the African continent, in a framework of reciprocal advantages, aiming at the realization of a historical dream of the African peoples.
In his speech, João Lourenço also highlighted that the world has been managed, over the last eight decades, by global governance institutions created in the post-World War II period, which, in view of the profound transformations that have occurred since then, need to be reformed to reflect the new realities.
However, he noted, efforts in this direction have had results below the expectations of the global majority, and do not seem to arouse the necessary sensitivity on the part of developed countries.
In this regard, the President argued that BRICS can play a relevant and active role in building a new balance in world governance, promoting dialogue between the Global South and industrialized nations.
“From all this, the urgency and importance of working with the aim of strengthening multilateralism, which is increasingly threatened in current times, stands out, and this weakening is a factor of instability and the origin of tensions that multiply throughout our planet,” he stressed.
The Angolan statesman also considered that the BRICS has a decisive field of intervention for the rebalancing of the world economic order, stressing the need for fairer international trade, structuring investments and less costly financing models, particularly for developing countries.
He informed those present that Africa has already defined its own development strategy, enshrined in the African Union Agenda 2063, which sets out the main vectors for the continent economic and social progress.
In this context, he said that cooperation with BRICS financial institutions can leverage African economies, especially through investment in infrastructure that enables the electrification, industrialization and operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“We are fully aware that we are facing an unavoidable challenge, which we will have to face and overcome to ensure the effective inclusion of Africa in the world economy, with relevant contributions to solving global problems such as the food and energy crisis,” said João Lourenço.
He also stressed that the good cooperation between Africa and BRICS reflects the common path that has been taken in strengthening the Global South, with a view to creating mutually beneficial partnerships, with a focus on sustainable development and the reduction of social and economic inequalities.
World peace
According to the Angolan President, this BRICS meeting takes place at a particularly troubled moment in contemporary history, marked by wars, conflicts and terrorism, which spread on several continents and put the future of humanity at risk.
In this context, he defended the peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and negotiation, calling for an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, which threatens stability in Europe, and an end to the conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, which has destabilized the vast and rich Great Lakes region for decades.
He also advocated the urgent resolution of the crisis in Sudan and the fight against the spread of terrorism in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and, in particular, Somalia.
João Lourenço strongly condemned the genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and reiterated the need to implement UN Security Council resolutions, with a view to the urgent creation of the State of Palestine.
“We applaud all initiatives that contribute to preventing the spread of conflict in the Middle East, a region that must be one of peace, prosperity and well-being for its peoples and nations. We believe that the BRICS must take a firm stand in defense of respect for the norms of international law, promoting dialogue and the peaceful resolution of disputes, based on the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter,” he said.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
