Luanda – The university teacher Carlos Pacatolo on Thursday, in the Province of Luanda, defended that Angola should take greater advantage of the benefits from the Lobito Corridor, once it takes over the one-year rotating presidency of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by this month.
Carlos Pacatolo made these statements while speaking at the Girassol television station in the scope of the 43rd Summit of the Head of States and Governments of SADC, which is scheduled to take place from 7 to 17 of the current month, in the Province of Luanda.
To him, it is expected that the country, after taking over the presidency of SADC, should provide the strength and vitality to the Lobito Corridor, which he considers a big economic boost that can propel the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and encourage infra-continental tourism.
He said that the Lobito Corridor must be fully explored, both the railway and the port infrastructure, as well as the logistic side and its roads should be improved and more roads should be built along its strip.
With all this infrastructure linked to transport and logistics, with the economic and political diplomacy that Angola can exercise, he believes that the Lobito Corridor will contribute to the development of Angolans and other countries that will be able to take advantage of the opportunities that it offers, with emphasis on trade, transport and mobility of goods and people.
Regarding its services, the experts consider that it generates opportunities for a major exploitation of the tourism within the continent which might make possible the transaction of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is being driven by the continent.
“You cannot take all the advantages of a Free Trade Area without the transport infrastructure being able to take advantage of this opportunity”, he stated.
Carlos Pacatolo, who praised the summit, which will take place under the motto “Human and Financial Capital, the main tools for the sustainable industrialization of the SADC region”, adding that it pays greater attention to training staff, as well as raising funds, which are two main key elements that can make industrialization feasible.
“Here we are not talking about just any industrialization. It is an industrialization that one wants sustainable and Angola, as the country in the region rich in mineral resources, clearly has to strive for sustainable exploration”, he underlined.
With the ongoing diversification of the economy, he says it is possible to grow faster and to grow faster it is possible to meet the eagerness and expectation of youth in African countries who are claiming for a job opportunity to make their dreams come true.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an intergovernmental body created in 1992 and devoted to social and economic cooperation and integration, as well as cooperation in matters of politics and security.
The organization includes Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The organization has among its objectives the promotion of economic growth and development, the reduction of poverty, peace and security, sustainable development, the consolidation of cultural, historical and social references.
NE/MRA/jmc
