Africa-Press – Angola. The Head of State, João Lourenço, starts today, until Wednesday, a state visit to Cape Verde. The Angolan statesman arrived Sunday at Nelson Mandela International Airport, in this island country, accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, and a delegation that includes ministers and senior officials from her office.
The visit of the Head of State officially begins here in Praia, capital of the country, and the program reserves, as the highest point, the meeting between the two statesmen, which is expected to culminate in statements to the press.
The program also foresees, still here in Praia, the intervention of the Head of State in a special session of the Cape Verdean Parliament, at the invitation of the President of the National Assembly, Austelino Correia, laying of a wreath at the Amílcar Cabral Memorial, visit to its foundation and meeting with the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, José Ulisses Correia e Silva.
In this latest meeting, the Angolan statesman and the Cape Verdean Prime Minister will witness the signing of four legal instruments that arise, among others, to strengthen economic relations between the two countries.
This is the “Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments”, “Bilateral Agreement on Air Services”, “Memorandum of Understanding on Air Transport between the Ministry of Transport of Angola and the Ministry of Tourism and Transport of Cape Verde” and the “Memorandum of Technical Cooperation between the National Civil Aviation Authority of Angola (ANAC) and the Civil Aviation Agency of Cape Verde”, approved during the VIII Joint Commission between Angola and Cape Verde, which is taking place until today in the Cape Verdean capital. verdiana, under the presidency of the heads of diplomacy of both countries, namely, Rui Alberto de Figueiredo Soares and Téte António.
Regarding the Bilateral Agreement on Air Services, the Minister of Transport, Ricardo de Abreu, made it known that the highlight will be the signing of a “leasing agreement” between the national flag company TAAG and Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde. (TACV), which will consist in the provision by the Angolan State, to this second, of an aircraft, in order to allow the continuity of services.
“It is a first step that we are taking with TACV and it represents the new stage of the bilateral relationship with another level of effectiveness”, he stressed. Ricardo de Abreu did not specify if this aircraft will be withdrawn from the national fleet or if it will be a new aircraft to be acquired by the Angolan State, having only mentioned that it will be a current generation Boeing 737-700, which should arrive in Cape Verde in the next few days.
Asked about the duration of the agreement, the Minister of Transport said that it was not yet determined, but said that the parties wanted it to be long-term. It is believed that this device will be used by TACV in the resumption of the air connection between Luanda and Praia.
However, on this subject, Ricardo de Abreu stressed that, rather than seeing the air link between Luanda and Praia resumed – a step long awaited by the people of both countries – it is important to create the conditions for the two companies to have operational capacity, to respond to business needs.
Leasing is a contract that allows an individual or legal entity to use a certain piece of equipment or property, for a specified period, through the mediation of a lessor, and can then choose to purchase it, through payments. This type of contract is also known as a lease.
investment protection
The Angolan ambassador to Cape Verde, Júlia de Assunção Machado, said that the level of cooperation between the two countries will gain more vigor with the signing of the four legal instruments, with emphasis on the “Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments”.
“This agreement will give greater dynamics to the development of economic cooperation between the two countries”, highlighted the Angolan diplomat, for whom the private sector of both parties will be safer.
Angolans with investment opportunity in Cape Verde
For the ambassador of Cape Verde to Angola, Jorge Figueiredo, the legal instruments to be signed between the two countries will allow entrepreneurs from both countries to identify more investment opportunities in the two territories.
The diplomat stressed that, like Angola, Cape Verde is also implementing, at the moment, a privatization process of a number of companies and sectors, whose tenders are open to Angolan businessmen.
In the list of opportunities existing at that time in Cape Verde, for investment, Jorge Figueiredo pointed out tourism as another area open to Angolans. “Although we are a small country, we are strategically very well located and we can be, therefore, a kind of a free route for the promotion of exchange between Angola and the countries, for example, of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS ), as well as to Europe and America”, he stressed.
He stressed that this strategy will promote a fruitful relationship between Angolan and Cape Verdean businessmen, both in Cape Verde and in Angola. He said that without a “frequent and scheduled” transport relationship, there cannot be an efficient commercial exchange.
“We are living with this fact, which is why instruments are being approved in the area of Air Transport, which will start to promote trade, political relations and the private sector, fundamentally”, he stressed.
Another instrument that is also deserving the attention of the two States is that of Maritime Transport, with the Cape Verde ambassador to Angola assuring that it is already being worked on.
As Cape Verde is a country that practically imports everything, Jorge Figueiredo said that Angola could find another business opportunity here. “And then we would significantly increase trade. We are already doing it with Europe. Why don’t we do it with Angola now?”, he asked.
business platform
Before the trip to Angola, in January of this year, for the State visit, the President of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, told Lusa that he wanted Angola to transform his country into a business platform in the region, having, therefore, , underlining the need for more partnerships between the two States in the Air and Maritime Transport sectors.
Angola and Cape Verde have already signed, within the scope of their good relationship, several protocols, with emphasis on visa waiver and technical cooperation agreements in different areas, namely, Defense, Education, Oil, Diplomacy, Agriculture , Transport, Finance and Administration.
Of the country’s investments in Cape Verde, those in the field of Banking, Telecommunications and Fuels stand out. The first step towards the formalization of bilateral relations between the two countries took place in 1976, with the signing of the General Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between the two States.
Angola and Cape Verde are currently going through a good moment in cooperation relations. In November last year, the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, was in Cape Verde to witness the investiture ceremony of José Maria Neves, a gesture reciprocated by the latter with the first State visit to Angola.
Good environment for entrepreneurs to expand business
Adel de Carvalho Paim and José António Augusto, two young Angolan businessmen who are currently in Cape Verde, applauded the good moment that the two countries are going through in terms of bilateral relations, saying that this environment is pleasant and provides security. in the investments they individually make in this Portuguese-speaking country.
Adel de Carvalho Paim, who has lived in the city of Praia for 13 years, invests in the restaurant sector. He said that the Cape Verdean market, despite being small, is quite productive and, therefore, invites other Angolan businessmen to invest in the country. “There is great investment potential here in Cape Verde, with the advantage that the people are quite spectacular”, he clarified. Unlike Adel de Carvalho Paim, who already explores the Cape Verdean market, José António Semedo Augusto went to this country, a month ago, to establish business partnerships with Cape Verdean counterparts.
The Angolan businessman, who has already been received by the Cape Verdean President, said that one of his goals is to bring specialized Cape Verdean labor to Angola, specifically to Malanje province, to help develop his business. .
José Augusto bets on the sugarcane production process and its transformation, namely, into cane honey, juice, brandy and other derivatives. In a first phase, he said, he intends to produce 500 hectares of sugarcane.
“We already have the land, duly deforested, support of equipment received within the scope of the support that the Government is giving to national entrepreneurs”, he stressed, adding that he is also investing in the Energy sector, in order to attract the business community. Cape Verdean to Angola.
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