The Diplomat
King Philip VI yesterday highlighted the role that Spanish companies can play in the current process of economic diversification in Angola, on the occasion of the official visit to Madrid of the president of the African country, João Lourenço.
The Angolan president, who is in Spain in the framework of an official visit that will conclude today, was received at the Zarzuela Palace by the King, with whom he talked about “issues related to bilateral cooperation, which Luanda and Madrid want to expand”, according to the website of the Angolan Presidency. Sources consulted by The Diplomat also indicated that the Angolan leader took advantage of his stay in Spain to extend an invitation to the King to pay a state visit to Angola.
During the meeting, the two heads of state were accompanied, on the Spanish side, by the Spanish Ambassador to Angola, Manuel Hernández Ruigómez, and the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Luis Manuel Cuesta Civis, and, on the Angolan side, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, and the Ambassador to Spain, Luis de Matos Agostinho.
Later, King Philip and Queen Letizia hosted a lunch at the Royal Palace in honor of the President of Angola and the First Lady, Ana Afonso Dias Lourenço, which began with a few words from the Monarch. “Angola’s commitment to greater economic diversification will undoubtedly favor the development of the national economy and, with it, the greater provision of goods and services for the needs of the entire population”, said the King.
“Angola has the confidence of Spain and the International Community in its determination to promote the greater well-being of its citizens”, he continued. “And to meet this high objective, your country has great possibilities in many economic sectors: not only oil, but also agriculture, livestock, fisheries, tourism or its great mineral wealth”, he added.
“Spain will be at your side to achieve this diversification, not only in the financial sphere but also through our companies, many of which have been working in Angola for years”, said Philip VI. “They are companies of excellence that carry out quality work that has earned the recognition of authorities and business partners in your country”, he assured.
“Likewise, and in accordance with the Third Africa Plan and the launch of the Africa 2023 Focus Action Program, recently approved by the Government, Angola is a priority country for Spain”, which “means that Angola occupies a place of the utmost importance when it comes to establishing our links with other States”, the King added.
The lunch was attended by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez; the First Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño; the Third Vice-President and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; and the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
For his part, the Angolan leader said during his speech that the objective of his visit is to “establish a real strategic alliance” with Spain that goes beyond the merely economic and business sphere and that “strengthens the ties of friendship and cooperation in important areas”, such as “politics, education, agriculture, energy, civil construction, fisheries, health, defense and security and other domains”. “The Angolan market is open to a greater presence of Spanish businessmen, so that we can build a base of mutually beneficial cooperation for our two peoples and countries”, he added. “I would like to count on your country to mobilize financing and investors from Europe interested in investing in Angola”, he concluded.
The lunch was also attended by the president of the Senate, Ander Gil; and the presidents of the Constitutional Court, Juan José González Rivas, and of the Supreme Court and the General Council of the Judiciary, Carlos Lesmes; in addition to the leaders of Spanish companies with interests in the African country and representatives from the fields of society, culture, science and sports.
Meeting with Sánchez
After lunch, João Lourenço was received at the Moncloa Complex by Pedro Sánchez, with whom he had already met last April during the Chief Executive’s official visit to Luanda, the first visit by a Spanish Prime Minister to the African country since that of Felipe González in 1992.
During the meeting, both leaders agreed on a Joint Declaration to deepen bilateral relations and strengthen sectors of economic interest for Spanish companies and investments in the country. In this regard, Sanchez highlighted the interest of Spanish companies in the Angolan market, “where they can bring their experience, quality and technology to contribute to the economic and social development of the country”.
In 2020, Spain exported to Angola for a value of 87 million euros and imported for 548 million euros. Since 2018, the cumulative figure of Spanish investments in the country has reached €518 million, placing Angola in 49th place as a destination for Spanish investment.
