Day: March 3, 2023

Luanda – French President, Emmanuel Macron, arrived Thursday night in Luanda for an official visit at the invitation of Angola´s Head of State, Joao Lourenço.

The French President´s agenda will start Friday with a visit to the Coin Museum in Luanda City and also will close the France-Angola Business Forum that started Thursday.

The French Head of State will then go to the Presidential Palace for a private meeting with President João Lourenço.

At the Palace, the two heads of State are due to make statements to the press.

Emmanuel Macron will leave Luanda mid-afternoon on Friday.

Bilateral Relations

Angola and France established diplomatic relations on February 17, 1976. The two countries have cooperation relations in several areas.

The cooperation between both countries has seen new developments after the official visit of President João Lourenço to France on May 28, 2018.

Within the framework of bilateral cooperation, over 70 French companies operate in this African country. Angola´s oil exports to France are around USD 400 million.

France intends to change and deepen trade relations with Angola, as part of the economic diversification underway in the country.

Priorities include issues linked to industrialisation, particularly in the logistics, distribution and agribusiness sectors.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – The volume of trade and goods transacted, in the 2020/2022 period, between Angola and France, has reached around US$4 billion, with greater value for the southern African country, advanced the minister of State and head of the Civil Affairs Office of the President of Republic, Adão de Almeida.

A sum of US$2.9 billion, of that amount, are exports from Angola to France and US$1.1 billion from France to Angola, according to Adão de Almeida, who was speaking at the closing of the Economic Forum between the two countries, in an act witnessed by President Emmanuel Macron.

According to Adão de Almeida, French export infrastructures are still dominated by equipment from the oil industry, an action that is already starting to change to other areas, within the diversification framework.

Such diversification is based on the areas of health, education, consumer goods, electricity, cosmetics and others.

According to Adão de Almeida, the prospect is to increase business in the fields of agriculture, livestock, tourism, food products, within the framework of the Programme to Support Production, Diversification of Exports and replace of Imports (Prodesi).

Angola also wants to strengthen cooperation in new areas, with emphasis on logistics, production of medicines for human and animal care, finance, railway equipment, agribusiness and civil construction.

“That is why the forum is dedicated to launching a partnership between Angola and France in the agricultural and agri-food sector”, underlined Adão de Almeida.

Angola and France established diplomatic ties on February 17, 1976. The two countries also have cooperation relations in several areas.

Cooperation between the two countries saw new development after the official visit of President João Lourenço to France, on May 28, 2018.

Within the framework of bilateral cooperation, more than 70 French companies operate in Angola. Oil exports from Angola to France are around US$400 million.

France intends to change and deepen commercial relations with Angola, within the scope of the economic diversification underway in the country.

Priorities include issues related to industrialization, mainly in the fields of logistics, distribution and agribusiness.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, announced this Friday the establishment of a new financing tool to support micro, small and medium-sized companies in the agricultural sector in Africa, including Angola.

The instrument, according to Emmanuel Macron, will allow such companies in the agricultural sector to have projects structured in different aspects.

Speaking at the end of the Angola/France Economic Forum, which took place from the 2nd to the 3rd of the current month, Macron refers that the aforementioned companies will work with financial institutions such as “Business France” and the French Public Investment Bank (BPI F), with which local production capacities will develop.

“This instrument will make it possible to invest in small and medium-sized companies, precisely to be able to launch small structured African projects”, he advanced, maintaining that the same financial tool will allow for a start-up of production capacities.

President Macron says that, In Angola, in particular, he wants to contribute “strongly” to the economic partnership and respond to the country’s challenges, with the help of business associations in both countries, without any imposition, but with reciprocal interests.

The French President said it was a good thing that Angola was starting to turn its attention to the diversification of the economy, after dependence on the diamond and oil sectors.

In his understanding, diversification will improve the business environment, making it more attractive and suitable for international bussinesses.

For this purpose, Macron points to the professional training process as being fundamental, expressing a partnership in this area, which can be done digitally in several domains.

In this context, he points to agricultural production as one of the ways that will allow an exit from the informal economy, as, in his opinion, it increases the prospects for export and boosts it, also allowing for food “sovereignty”.

According to Emmanuel Macron, the war between Russia and Ukraine forced the launch, in 2022, of the “Farm initiative”, an experience that will help with cereals circulation, inputs and fertilizers in Europe and Africa, as well as assist African countries with boosting production.

“It will be a partnership with the engagement of Angola, for an agricultural production that could allow an increase in production levels and exports”, he reinforced.

Within the framework of the partnership established among private sector companies in both countries, priorities have already been highlighted, such as maize, cassava, soy, cotton, cereals, coffee, livestock, and others.

Available data show that more than 70 French companies operate in Angola.

Oil exports from Angola to France are around US$400 million.

France intends to change and deepen commercial ties with Angola, within the scope of the economic diversification underway in the country.

Priorities include issues linked to industrialization, mainly on the logistic fields, distribution and agribusiness.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Angola reiterated, this Friday, its interest in maintaining cooperation with France in the fields of agriculture, cattle-breeding, transformation of rural products, fisheries, tourism and energy.

The intention was expressed by the Angolan Head of State to journalists at the end of the meeting with the French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, who is on a 24-hour diplomatic visit to Angola.

João Lourenço underlined the fact that the two countries signed four cooperation instruments today in the presence of the two Heads of State.

The Angolan President said that in the field of energy, Angola is counting on France, too, for the energy transition to environmentally friendly sources.

“Angola made this bet some time ago”, said President João Lourenço, noting that for this end the country also has French know-how and the knowledge of private companies in the European country.

According to President João Lourenço, France and Angola have intensified cooperation in the fields of education and higher education, a partnership that the Angolan State has also expressed interest on keeping.

“President Macron, (…) have in Angola a partner on the African continent who will cooperate in all areas, including those of peace and security, not only on our continent, but also in the rest of the world”, expressed the Angolan Head of State.

On the occasion, João Lourenço highlighted the fact that Angola is building a school, named “42nd school”, with French inspiration.

As for the visit of the French President, the Angolan statesman considered it to be of high significance, as it allowed re-launching and strengthening existing ties of friendship and cooperation.

The two countries established diplomatic relations on February 17, 1976. The two countries also have cooperation ties in various domains.

Cooperation between the two countries saw new developments after the official visit of President João Lourenço to France, on May 28, 2018.

Within the framework of bilateral cooperation, more than 70 French companies operate in Angola. Oil exports from Angola to France are around US$400 million.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – The French President, Emmanuel Macron, ended his 24-hour official visit to Angola, where he met with the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço.

The French statesman was bid farewell at the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport by the Angolan minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António.

Earlier, at the Presidential Palace in Cidade Alta, in a private meeting, the two Heads of State reviewed issues linked to bilateral cooperation, as well as international current affairs.

Emmanuel Macron, who visited Angola at the invitation of President João Lourenço, received state honours at the palace and greetings from members of the Angolan Executive.

In Luanda, Angolan capital city, where he arrived on Thursday night, the French President witnessed the signing ceremony of four cooperation agreements between France and Angola and proceeded to closing the Angola/France economic forum, held from the 2nd to the 3rd of the current month, at the Currency Museum, in Luanda City.

Bilateral Ties

Angola and France established diplomatic ties on February 17, 1976. The two countries also have cooperation relations in several areas.

Cooperation between the two countries recorded new developments after the official visit of President João Lourenço to France, on May, 28 2018.

Within the framework of bilateral cooperation, more than 70 French companies operate in Angola. Oil exports from Angola to France are around US$400 million.

France intends to change and deepen commercial ties with Angola, within the scope of Angola’s ongoing economic diversification process.

Priorities include issues linked to industrialization, mainly in the fields of logistics, distribution and agribusiness.

Source: Angola Press News Agency