Awaza: Angola's permanent representative to the United Nations, Francisco Jos© da Cruz, emphasized the necessity of collective, fair, and personalized solutions to address the financing challenges faced by landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). Speaking at a high-level roundtable on resource provision and mobilization for sustainable development, Ambassador da Cruz highlighted the structural vulnerabilities of these nations. Awaza: Angola's permanent representative to the United Nations, Francisco Jos© da Cruz, emphasized the necessity of collective, fair, and personalized solutions to address the financing challenges faced by landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). Speaking at a high-level roundtable on resource provision and mobilization for sustainable development, Ambassador da Cruz highlighted the structural vulnerabilities of these nations.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Ambassador da Cruz noted that at the national level, Angola has invested in mobilizing internal resources through tax reforms, digitizing tax administration, and combating capital flight. "These measures are reinforcing our ability to finance development in a sustainable and autonomous manner," he stated. However, he acknowledged that internal resources alone are insufficient, urging for increased public development aid (APD) for the least developed countries (PMDs), LLDCs, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), aligned with the priorities of their respective action programs.
He cited the Lobito corridor as an example of the transformative potential of partnerships, combining financial resources from public and private sectors, involving neighboring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, as well as support from the African Development Bank, European Union, and the United States. This project aims to enhance regional connectivity, reduce logistics costs, promote value chains, and attract productive investment, showcasing how solid partnerships can foster inclusive and structural solutions for sustainable development.
Ambassador da Cruz also announced an upcoming infrastructure financing summit in Africa, scheduled for October in Angola, in collaboration with the African Union and Auda-Nepad. The initiative seeks to mobilize African and global capital for high-impact projects, reinforcing the corridor's strategy and supporting infrastructure investment initiatives aligned with the 2063 agenda and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
