Mike Pompeo, who was speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex), stressed that his visit to Angola comes at a key moment in the country's history.
Praising the "excellent work" of President João Lourenço in his first two and a half years in office to turn corruption "into a ghost of the past", Mike Pompeo considered that this is a problem that has held back the country's potential "for too long".
"[João Lourenço] increased transparency, forced financial institutions to clean up their balance sheets and pursued bad actors. I am optimistic that he will continue to free Angola from corruption," he stressed.
The head of US diplomacy also said that everyone was prepared for João Lourenço's vision of a "new Angola".
"Government, business people, civil society and the excellent Angolan people were clearly prepared for change and wanted to relate to Western and democratic countries in a way that was not possible until a few years ago. That is why I am here," said Pompeo, adding the willingness of the US to "create partnerships" with an Angola that sees, in the future, as "sovereign, prosperous and peaceful.
Mike Pompeo also declared himself "encouraged" by the Angolan Government's determination to privatise 195 companies and state assets that will attract private investment.
If the new investment law is well implemented, he noted, "many more US and Western investments" will come to "create wealth, jobs and opportunities for Angolans".
This will also help Angolans to develop their resources, diversify the economy and develop the agriculture, tourism and technology sectors, he said.
The leader of US diplomacy also spoke about the existing US partnerships in health and economics and noted that the US also wants to strengthen cooperation in the area of security.
Pompeo also noted that US investments were "transparent and clear" and that the aim was to bring money to benefit the people, taking into account the "enormous opportunities" that exist, which could help Angola to diversify an economy until now almost exclusively based on oil.
