Paris – The state visit that President João Lourenço has just made to France ended with a rich balance, whose results speak for themselves.

During the two days of intense diplomatic activity, João Lourenço paved the way for the implementation of a series of projects and commitments, strengthening bilateral cooperation relations between Angola and France within the framework of strengthening.

The visit took place from the 15th to the 17th of January 2025 with an agenda that began at the Élysée Presidential Palace, where João Lourenço and the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, were welcomed by the French presidential couple, Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron, for conversations, lunch and official dinner.

Before leaving Paris, the French capital, the Angolan Head of State granted a series of audiences to prominent figures from the business world and the field of international relations, with emphasis on the deputy chairman of the Airbus Executive Board for the International Area, Wouter Van Wersch.

The chairman and general director of the French multinational TotalEnergies, as well as the European commissioner for International Partnerships, Josef Sikela, and the secretary general of the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushkiwabo, are among the personalities who were received.

The hearings were anticipated by the signing of several legal agreements negotiated within the framework of João Lourenço's State visit, with emphasis on the project to acquire an earth observation satellite.

This last commitment consists of an agreement signed with the European aerospace company Airbus to finance a Project for the Design, Manufacture and Supply of an Earth Observation Satellite System.

A Technical Data Sheet agreement inherent to a Modernization Project of the National Meteorological Service under the responsibility of Meteo France International (MFI), described as a long-time partner of the Government of Angola, in a partnership that began in 2018, was also signed.

After an initial phase dedicated to the modernization of the National Institute of Meteorology of Angola (INAMET), the project is now focused on strengthening infrastructure in the field of observation and data processing.

The chairman of the IMF, Patrick Benichou, clarified that what the Angolan Government hopes is to improve alert information for the population in case of bad weather, as well as to provide personalized services to the economic sector, which is sensitive to climate and environmental conditions, such as agriculture, energy, transport, among others.

After his audience with the Angolan President, he said that they have just completed the first phase successfully and they will begin phase two immediately. He added that basically, this is the biggest contract in meteorology in Africa.

Patrick Benichou was received by the President of the Republic shortly after signing the Commercial and Financing Contract with the French bank Société Générale and the Angolan Ministry of Finance “to finance this unique contract in Angola”.

In the field of health, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed regarding the Rehabilitation and Expansion Project of the Former Medicines Quality Control Laboratory in Luanda and another with the French Military Equipment Company (SAS) regarding the execution of studies and projects to the rehabilitation and expansion of the Augusto Ngangula Maternity Hospital.

Another Memorandum of Understanding between SUEZ International Group and Luanda Public Water Company (EPAL), for cooperation in improving the water supply network to the country's capital city, is part of the range of documents signed.

Enhanced cooperation

In addition to these contractual commitments, there are six legal instruments signed the previous day, between the governments of Angola and France, as part of political measures to update the legal framework for general cooperation between the two countries, which will adapt it to new realities.

The six instruments, which include the General Cooperation Agreement (AGC) and the Cooperation Agreement in the Field of Security and Internal Order (ACDSOI), were signed by the Angolan Foreign ministry, Téte António and the French Foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot.

Four Memorandums of Understanding were also signed, one of which related to the execution of the Palanca Yetu Project, for Biodiversity Preservation, and the rest related to the Establishment of Political Consultations, the Project to Support the Development of Irrigated Agriculture (PROREGA) and Cooperation in the area of Sport.

The new AGC reflects the mutual desire to foster relations of friendship and cooperation, based on the principles of equality and mutual respect for national sovereignty, in a broad commitment to promoting ever greater understanding between the people of the two countries.

The parties commit to remain performing the reform of international financial institutions, towards a fairer international economic order and the well-being of all people, highlighting the importance of global issues such as the preservation of biodiversity and climate change, for the sustainability of life on the planet.

In the assessment of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, the contractual commitments reinforced during the state visit of his Angolan counterpart totaled more than 430 million euros.

EPAL reinforces distribution capacity

Pierre Paulião, general director of the SUEZ Group, a large French company that is present in the Angolan market with projects to improve the supply of drinking water to the inhabitants of the city of Luanda, was among the individuals received on the last day of the visit.

After the audience, he said he had spoken with President João Lourenço about the situation of water supply, sanitation and waste treatment in Luanda, in the scope of reinforced commitments with the Ministry of Energy and Water and EPAL, to improve the service of water distribution.

He explained that to achieve this end, its business group and EPAL, on the same day, signed an agreement protocol that will make it possible to further strengthen a partnership that has existed for several years between the two sides, which also involves a transfer of knowledge, experience and technology to the Angolan side.

Pierre Paulião specified that the document signed this Friday concludes a memorandum of understanding for the execution of the second phase of the PROÁGUA Project, aimed at improving the water supply to the city of Luanda.

Specifically, the agreement signed with the SUEZ Group aims to reinforce the technical capacity of EPAL's supply systems at the Kifangondo, Luanda Sudeste and Luanda Sul stations, for a total of more than 3 million inhabitants.

According to the chairman of the EPAL Board of Directors, Adão da Silva, work on the project, which is already underway, should last until 2026.

The execution of the PROÁGUA project is valued at 200 million euros, in a contract under the joint responsibility of SUEZ International and the Mitrelli Limited Group, according to the presidential order that awarded the work, in 2022, through a simplified contract.

IZ/MRA/jmc