Luanda: The governments of Angola and Brazil, along with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), signed on Tuesday a trilateral cooperation agreement to improve maternal, child, and neonatal health in the Southern African nation. The agreement aims to implement the "Valuing Maternal, Infant, and Fetal Life in Angola" project and establishes technical cooperation oriented toward concrete actions to strengthen institutional and professional capacities in Angola's health sector.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the project will focus on strengthening surveillance systems for maternal, infant, and fetal deaths, improving the quality of health information, and supporting evidence-based decision-making. Its main planned activities include situational diagnoses, experience sharing, developing distance learning tools, and strengthening governance mechanisms, including Audit and Death Prevention Committees.
The initiative is the result of a technical partnership between the Angolan Ministry of Health (through the National Directorate of Public Health), the UNFPA, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). It is supported by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and focuses on distance education as a strategic tool for the continuous training of health professionals throughout Angola.
The agreement was signed by Maria Furtado, the Director-General of the National Institute for the Fight Against AIDS; Rinko Kinoshita, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Angola; and Joo Clementino, of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC).
Secretary of State for Public Health Carlos Alberto de Sousa stressed that the event clearly affirms the Angolan state's commitment to protecting life during its most vulnerable stages. According to Sousa, the agreement symbolizes more than a technical initiative; it is a political commitment to maternal, child, and fetal health. The agreement recognizes that Angola's sustainable development depends on protecting life, strengthening families, and guaranteeing the right to health.
De Sousa considered the partnership with the UNFPA and Fiocruz to be strategic, since it aligns with international best practices and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Brazilian Ambassador to Angola, Eugªnia Barthelmess, emphasized that the project is another milestone in the South-South cooperation between the two countries. The project involves the Brazilian Ministry of Health and Fiocruz as the implementing entities.
The diplomat stated that the initiative focuses on improving care for women, pregnant women, mothers, and newborns, thereby raising the quality of life for the Angolan population and that the project is part of a broader set of health-related technical cooperation initiatives developed between Angola and Brazil. She highlighted the Human Resources Training Program in Health, which began in 2023 and currently has 330 Angolan professionals undergoing training in Brazil.
Barthelmess mentioned that Brazil has announced the availability of more than 120 new scholarships for Angolan professionals in 2026, distributed across 45 Brazilian higher education institutions. "With this reinforcement, the total number of Angolan technicians and professionals benefiting from the program should exceed 1,250 trainees, adding to the staff already in training," she said.
The diplomat also highlighted the Brazil-Angola Joint Cancer Control Program, developed by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency and the Ministries of Health of both countries, as well as the Angolan Institute for Cancer Control. This program has already trained 40 Angolan professionals, with 26 receiving in-person training and 43 completing distance education courses.
Rinko Kinoshita, the UNFPA representative in Angola, said the project resulted from a dialogue initiated in 2019 between the governments of Angola and Brazil and facilitated by the UNFPA in both countries. This project is a joint response to persistent maternal, infant, and fetal mortality challenges in Angola. "UNFPA reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Angolan Ministry of Health, ensuring that every birth is safe and every pregnancy is wanted, and that no woman or girl is left behind," she concluded.
According to data presented by Kinoshita, Angola reduced its maternal mortality rate from 249 to 170 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2015 and 2023. This significant advance requires continued policies and investments to reach the global target of 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, in line with national and international commitments under the Sustainable Development Agenda.
