“I think it is a milestone in Brazil-Angola, Brazil-Africa relations, it is a very symbolic visit, but also with a very evident concrete dimension,” a Brazilian diplomatic source told Lusa.
The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, known as Itamaraty, recalled that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was in Angola in 2023, on one of his first trips abroad after starting his third term, showing the importance not only of Angola and Portuguese-speaking countries, but also of the African continent.
The visit is even more important as it is the celebration of 50 years of Angola's independence, "an independence that Brazil was the first country to recognize".
Another factor pointed out to Lusa is the fact that João Lourenço is currently the rotating president of the African Union.
When asked about the signing of memorandums of understanding, the Itamaraty source indicated that the details are still being finalized.
One of the concrete dimensions concerns agricultural cooperation, with emphasis on the project in the Cunene Valley, in southwest Angola.
“The entire project we are developing in the agricultural area with Angola, with emphasis on the Cunene Valley", the target of a cooperation program with Brazil, aims to promote irrigated agriculture, the same source told Lusa.
Last week, the Brazilian government said that Lula da Silva and João Lourenço will analyze proposals for bilateral reinforcement in the agricultural sector during João Lourenço's visit to Brazil.
A mission from the Brazilian agribusiness sector was in Angola from May 5 to 10, with the participation of around 30 Brazilian businesspeople and the Brazilian minister in charge, Carlos Fávaro, who participated in government meetings and technical visits to the provinces of Luanda, Malanje and Cuanza-Norte and also meetings with representatives of the Angolan private sector to discuss forms of financing.
According to the Brazilian government, the visit aimed to prepare proposals for advancing bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector, on the eve of João Lourenço's visit.
A document will be drawn up and, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, the material will be delivered to Lula da Silva during the presidential meeting at the Planalto Palace, which will be preceded by a lunch at the official residence of the Brazilian Presidency.
According to the Brazilian Government, "Angola has around 35 million hectares of agricultural potential, a climate with two well-defined seasons, with a rainy season and a dry season, a flat topography, excellent for mechanization, and soils with good physical conditions, similar to those of the Brazilian Cerrado".
Around 70 percent of Brazilian exports to Angola come from the agribusiness sector, with emphasis on sugar and chicken, beef and pork meat, accounting for 340 of the 493 million dollars exported to the country in 2024.
