Brazil's Lula seeks to boost presence in African continent
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At the closing event of a Brazil-Angola Chamber of Commerce business forum, Lula vows that his country will make major investments in Africa.
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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Angolan President Joao Lourenco shaking hands during the official arrival ceremony at the Presidential Palace of Angola in Luanda (AFP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed on Saturday Brazil's desire to open a consulate general in Angola's capital city, Luanda, Agencia Brasil reported.
Lula highlighted that Angola is home to the largest Brazilian community on the African continent.
"That's why I instructed Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira to study the opening of a general consulate in Luanda, which would be the first in a Portuguese-speaking country in Africa," he added during the inauguration of the Ovídio de Melo Gallery at the Guimaraes Rosa Institute in Angola, as part of his African tour.
Before heading to Sao Tome and Príncipe for the Summit of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), the Brazilian leader said, "In relations between Brazil and Angola, we need to dream big and dream very far."
At the closing event of a Brazil-Angola Chamber of Commerce business forum, Lula vowed that his country would make major investments in Africa.
"Now we're going back to Africa to tell Brazilian and Angolan businesspeople that we're back for real. We're going to start financing African countries again, for Angola, which is a good payer of the things Brazil has invested here," he affirmed.
"Brazil's return to the African continent shouldn't be a return, because we should never have left the African continent. Brazil has no idea how many things we can do. I think Africa offers Brazil the opportunities that Brazil sometimes looks for elsewhere," the Brazilian President was quoted as saying.
On Friday, Lula addressed the Angolan National Assembly and announced a partnership to help develop the agriculture sector in Angola.
On his part, Angolan President Joao Lourenco invited Brazilian businesspeople "to invest in Angola fearlessly."
"We are particularly interested in seeing Brazilian investors invest in agribusiness, the tanning industry [leather], the automobile industry, the manufacture of tractor implements, fertilizers, the production of solar panels, the pharmaceutical industry for the production of medicines and vaccines, the wood processing industries, tourism, real estate and all other branches that are in their own interest," Lourenco stressed.
On Thursday, Lourenco welcomed Lula at the presidential Palace in Luanda, where he expressed hope for future cooperation with Brazil.
"Given that Angola and Brazil temporarily hold the presidency of their respective regional organizations, I think it would be very important to prepare a high-level meeting between the two regional blocs to harmonize strong economic cooperation within the framework of our developments," the Angolan President indicated.
Following a joint decoration ceremony, Lula and Lourenco signed seven memoranda of understanding (MOU) in the tourism, health, and agriculture fields, among others.
It is noteworthy that at the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Lula pointed out that trade exchange between Brazil and Africa does not exceed 3.5%, which is a very low figure, adding that Brazil seeks to strengthen exchange and increase investment in the African continent.
He also highlighted that 60% of Africa's land is cultivable and is capable of securing global food security.
"There’s a lot of room for growth. Beyond a past that unites us, we [Brazil and Africa] also share a common vision for the future," he said.
"In my first two mandates, the African continent had been a priority. I went 12 times to Africa to 21 countries. Brazil is back on the continent it should never have left. Africa gathers many opportunities and a huge potential for growth," the Brazilian President added.
Brazil's commerce with Africa increased by 33.7% in 2022, totaling over 21.5 billion dollars, compared to 15.9 billion dollars in 2021.
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