Angola and Brazil agree to strengthen and relaunch cooperation

Angolan President Joao Lourenço welcomed his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the presidential Palace in Luanda on Thursday.

The official state visit comes the same day as the end of the BRICS Summit, where discussions of economic growth and expansion were the main items on the agenda.

President Lourenço expressed hope for future cooperation with Brazil, suggesting it becomes a gateway to the Mercosur.

"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," said President Lourenço. 

At the BRICS Summit, the Brazilian president highlighted African countries' potential to produce their own food. "Africa has 65% of the world’s arable areas and a strong vocation to be an agricultural power, able to feed its peoples and provide solutions to global food security".

After a joint decoration ceremony, the two leaders signed seven memorandums of understanding in the fields of tourism health and agriculture, among others, to strengthen and relaunch the bilateral cooperation of almost five decades. 

Brazil’s chain of trade with Africa rose by 33.7% in 2022 amounting to nearly 21.5 billion dollars, compared to US$ 15.9 billion in 2021.

"In the health sector, we have addressed two important aspects: we have strengthened the prevention policy, which has given rise to the treatment logic we have now received, and the country's first drugs factory will be imported in a consortium of three Brazilian companies," shared President Lula.

The South American power is looking to expand its cooperation with the African continent.

President Lula is set to end his African tour in São Tomé and Príncipe on Sunday, where he will attend the 14th Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries.