Angolan President Joao Lourenço welcomed his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the presidential Palace in Luanda. The official state visit came the same day as the end of the BRICS Summit, where discussions of economic growth and expansion were the main items on the agenda.
“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.
Both countries also share tourism similarities, each with a wide variety of renowned tourist destinations. Brazil with the Amazon and Iguazú Falls among the New7Wonders of Nature, and Angola with their own New7Wonders certified National Wonders.
The South American power is looking to expand its cooperation with the African continent.