Africa-Press – Mozambique. Portugal and Mozambique will hold their sixth bilateral summit on Tuesday in Porto, with eleven ministers from each country attending. The aim is to strengthen political, institutional, cultural and economic cooperation, with around twenty agreements expected to be signed.
From the Portuguese side, alongside Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, the delegation includes the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Minister of State and Finance, Minister of the Presidency, Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Minister Adjunct to the Prime Minister and State Reform, Minister of National Defence, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Minister of Internal Administration, Minister of Environment and Energy, Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports.
The Mozambican delegation, led by President Daniel Chapo, includes Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Maria Manuela Lucas; Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs Mateus Saíze; Minister of Labour, Gender and Social Action Ivete Alane; Minister of Economy Basílio Muhate; Minister of State Administration and Public Service Inocêncio Impissa; Minister of National Defence Cristóvão Chume; Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources Fernando Rafael; Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation Américo Muchanga; Minister of Transport and Logistics João Matlombe; Minister of the Interior Paulo Chachine; Minister of Education and Culture Samaria Tovela; and Secretary of State for the Treasury Amílcar Tivane.
The organisation of the sixth Portugal-Mozambique Summit was announced in July by the Portuguese Prime Minister after receiving the President of Mozambique at São Bento Palace in Lisbon, highlighting that both countries have new leadership cycles capable of injecting fresh energy into their cooperation.
At the time, Montenegro said the goal was to “strengthen political, institutional, cultural and economic ties,” noting that both countries were at the start of their political cycles, creating the conditions to “inject new energy into the relationship between governments, countries and peoples.”
“There is no better expression of this desire to renew our relations than to resume these bilateral summits,” te Portuguese Prime Minister added.
Last week, the Portuguese ambassador to Maputo, Jorge Monteiro, estimated that around 20 agreements would be signed during the summit in areas such as finance, cooperation in public administration reform, digitalisation, and renewable energy.
The ambassador also expressed hope that new instruments to support financing Mozambique’s economy would be discussed, creating conditions to “revive bilateral economic relations.”
On the same day as the Portugal-Mozambique Summit, an Economic Forum between the two countries will take place, featuring speeches by the Mozambican President and Portuguese Prime Minister.
The programme begins at 9:00 am, with Daniel Chapo and Luís Montenegro being received at Porto City Hall with military honours, followed by the mayor, Pedro Duarte, handing over the keys of the city to the Mozambican President.
The two heads of government will then hold a private meeting, while sectoral ministerial meetings commence at the Palácio da Bolsa, ahead of the plenary summit meeting scheduled to start at 11:00 am, including the traditional group photo.
Afterwards, legal instruments will be signed, followed by press statements from Luís Montenegro and Daniel Chapo.
Both delegations will have lunch in the Port Wine Cellars before returning to the Palácio da Bolsa for the Portugal-Mozambique Economic Forum.
During the fifth Mozambique-Portugal summit in September 2022 in Maputo, the two governments signed 18 agreements and memoranda across sectors including agriculture, education, justice, health, heritage and culture, the Portuguese School of Mozambique, the promotion of the Portuguese language, and financing for companies and job creation in Cabo Delgado, a northern province affected by terrorist attacks.
