Day: May 6, 2022

Luanda – Angola and Portugal on Friday in the Angolan capital discussed issues related to development of bilateral relations.

The issue was on the table during an audience of Foreign Minister, Tete António, with Portugal’s Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Francisco André.

During the meeting, the two individuals spoke about the situation of the existing legal instruments between the two states, and reviewed issues on the regional and international agenda.

Angola and Portugal established diplomatic relations on 9 March 1976. The two states cooperate, among others, in the fields of diplomacy, economics, education, teaching and scientific research.

Available data indicates that Angola and Portugal signed at least 35 legal cooperation instruments, especially in the areas of agriculture, education, health, training, environment, energy, justice, defence, oil and security.

The working visit by the Portuguese secretary of state ends on 11 May.

Also today, Minister Tete António discussed with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Saadia El Alaqui, issues linked to bilateral cooperation in the political and economic fields.

During the audience granted by the minister, the parties discussed matters of common interest, with particular emphasis on strengthening cooperation in various areas.

The two countries have been analysing, at the level of international conferences, cooperation opportunities in climate change programmes, for soil preservation and reduction of the greenhouse effect.

To intensify economic and cultural exchanges between Angola and Morocco, within the framework of South-South cooperation, businesspeople from both countries created the Morocco-Angola Friendship Association (AMA) in 2007.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Products grown and manufactured in Angola were displayed at the 39th International Fruits and Vegetables Exhibition (Macfrut/2022), held from 4 to 6 May in Rimini (Italy), with a view to demonstrating the country’s production potential.

Angola was represented at the fair by the companies Girassol, Food-Care, Association of Young Angolan Producers, BFA, Lando e Filhos, Peleangola, FMEA and the BAJU Commercial Group, according to a press release issued Friday by ANGOP.

According to the document, the exhibition of Angolan companies took place on the day reserved for the African continent, which was marked by a tasting of Angolan products and a lecture given by the director of AIPEX, José Chinjamba.

On the occasion, the head of the Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX) presented the advantages that the investment law offers, as well as the existing facilities for obtaining entry visas to Angola.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda- The ministries of Education of Angola and Portugal signed on Friday in Luanda, a cooperation protocol in the scope of the Pilot National Examination.

The pilot national exam is scheduled for July, with 2,000 students from 6th and 12th grades to be selected randomly.

The agreement was signed by the National Institute for Evaluation and Development of Education (INADE), of Angola, by the Institute for Educational Evaluation (IAVE), of Portugal, and by the Directorate-General of Education National Examination Jury (DGE/JNE).

Named Pilot National Examination, the project aims at implementing an external assessment system of learning in Angola.

At the time, the Minister of Education, Luísa Grilo, said that the agreement represents a milestone for both countries.

According to Luisa Grilo, the reform in education, since 2012, already recommended the need for the National Examination.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

U.N. officials warn that soaring prices of food, fuel, fertilizers, and other commodities due to the Russia-Ukraine war could have a profound destabilizing impact on the African continent.

Africa is still reeling from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has plunged some 50 million people into extreme poverty. The continent is also tackling crises generated by climate change, conflict, and political unrest.

Added to this toxic mix is now the war in Ukraine.

Ahunna Eziakonwa, the U.N. Development Program’s assistant administrator and regional director for Africa, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is reverberating badly on the continent.

“Things that really was stunning for the continent and a rude awakening is how much it depends—almost 90% dependence on external sources of goods for what it needs to keep its population alive. Food and medicine,” she said.

Eziakonwa said the impact of soaring inflation due to price hikes of food, fuel, fertilizer and other commodities will soon begin to bite. She said Africa’s reliance on imports of food and other goods from Russia and Ukraine will create another front of discontent and possibly unrest in a growing number of nations.

UNDP-Africa Senior Economist Raymond Gilpin said rising inflation is putting several large investments on hold across the continent. He cited as examples the development of a huge steel mill complex in Nigeria and fertilizer plants in Angola.

Golpin warned tensions are rising in hot spots such as the Sahel, parts of Central Africa, and the Horn of Africa as the Russia-Ukraine war begins to fester.

“Particularly in urban areas, low-income communities, which could spillover just to violent protests and … probably also violent riots,” he said. “Also, and countries that have elections scheduled for this year and next year are particularly vulnerable because this could become a trigger.”

UNDP officials are calling for global action to address the problems in Africa resulting from measures taken half a world away. They say the long-term consequences of this new global crisis pose great risks to peace and stability efforts on the continent.

These dangers, they note, come at a time when Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for nearly half of global deaths caused by terrorism as seen in the record number of coups last year.

Source: Voice Of America