Luanda - The Prime Minister of Portugal Luís Montenegro left Angolan capital, Luanda, Thursday evening, after a three-day official visit to Angola to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
At the Presidential Palace in Luanda, Luís Montenegro received military farewell honors after a brief meeting with the Angolan Head of State João Lourenço.
The signing of 12 agreements, an Angola-Portugal business forum at the Luanda International Fair (FILDA) and a trip to Benguela province, where he visited the Lobito Corridor project were some of the highlights of the Portuguese head of government's visit.
The program began with a wreath laying ceremony at the Agostinho Neto Memorial, Angola's first President, continued with a meeting with President João Lourenço and between the delegations from both countries, which culminated in speeches by the two leaders, as well as a press conference.
On the occasion, the Portuguese Premier announced an increase of 500 million euros to the credit line for Angola, previously set at 2 billion Euros,
The talks resulted in the signing of various legal instruments in several sectors such as health, education, staff training, finance and tourism, among others.
Luís Montenegro visited the Portuguese School in Luanda, the National Museum of Military History, the former Fortress of São Miguel, a 16th century military fortification that underwent renovation work between 2009 and 2013.
The second day focused on economic aspects, one of the pillars of this trip, starting with visits to the companies Powergol based in Braga (Portugal) operating in the energy and electrical equipment and Refriango, a leading Angolan company in the production of beverages.
In the afternoon, he visited the Portuguese pavilion and various stands of Portuguese and Angolan companies at FILDA, and closed the Angola - Portugal Business Forum, dedicated to the agro-food sector.
On the third and final day of his visit, the Portuguese leader went to Benguela province, where he learned about one of the country's most emblematic development projects, the Lobito Corridor.
With funding from the United States and the European Union, the Lobito Corridor connects the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Moxico, and includes the Port of Lobito, the Mining Terminal, Catumbela Airport and the Benguela railway.
This railroad extends to the mining areas of the Copper belt in Zambia and Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), promoting the faster and more competitive export of cobalt, copper and other ores from these countries.
In Benguela, the Portuguese Prime Minister began the program with a meeting with Governor Luís Nunes, and visited the future facilities of the Consulate General of Portugal.
This was followed by a visit to Angola's largest photovoltaic solar plant, the Biópio Solar Plant, and the Port of Lobito, before arriving at the Benguela Railway and the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), the consortium made up of Trafigura, Mota-Engil and Vecturis, which has a 30 years concession. ART/AMP
