Nuno Sampaio spoke to Lusa this Tuesday, in Luanda, after a lunch with Portuguese businesspeople in Angola.
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation arrived in Angola this Tuesday for a three-day visit, focused on Portuguese cooperation, in particular the initiatives RETFOP (Revitalization of Technical Education and Vocational Training in Angola), which aim to reduce unemployment, and the Strengthening Resilience and Food and Nutrition Security in Angola (FRESAN) program.
The governor stressed that it is important to continue promoting "excellent" relations and proximity between Portugal and Angola, which celebrates 50 years of independence this year, through regular political visits.
He also highlighted the economic dimension, since "Angola is an important market for Portuguese companies" and stressed that businesspeople are "very motivated" for the challenges of the Angolan market.
"Obviously, as is public knowledge, there are difficulties in the Angolan economy, but the predisposition is that, together with the Portuguese Government, we will continue to work towards, on the one hand, consolidating what exists, and on the other hand, if we work on greater diversification of the presence of Portuguese companies in different sectors", he highlighted.
In the case of the Lobito Corridor, a structuring project for Angola's economy, Nuno Sampaio said that there are Portuguese companies "exploring this opportunity" and that there are European Union instruments that can be used "to support the presence of European companies" in this project.
Nuno Sampaio stressed that Portugal has an important position in Angola currently disputed by other countries and companies, but "this is part of the business", since "global markets are increasingly competitive".
He also noted that, in addition to investments, Portuguese companies play a very important role in the formation of human capital in Angola, with professional training and education projects.
"This is also one of the dimensions that brings me to this visit, because when we talk about the economic dimension, it exists to have a social impact," said the state secretary.
"We are talking about a country with a lot of young people, with a lot of young people who need jobs and training, and Portugal and Portuguese companies also play a role that they are already playing, but which can still be greater in this dimension," he added.
