Daniel Chapo was speaking to the press at the Presidential Palace after a meeting with his counterpart João Lourenço, in a short statement that focused on economic cooperation and closer bilateral relations, expressing his gratitude for Angola's support on several occasions.
Before the statements by the two heads of state, representatives of the governments of Angola and Mozambique signed five legal instruments to strengthen cooperation in the areas of transport, culture, social action and tourism.
“We believe that signing these agreements is important because they will allow, for example, permanent air links between Mozambique and Angola, between Maputo and Luanda, from our capitals or even from other provinces, because economic development depends on the movement of people and goods”, stressed Daniel Chapo.
For the Mozambican head of state, the movement of people and goods between Mozambique and Angola, “two sister countries”, will “without a doubt” accelerate the process of economic development, as will the areas of culture, tourism and social issues.
Daniel Chapo highlighted the creation of a joint technical team to assess existing agreements, their level of implementation, and ongoing assessment of the agreements signed this Friday.
“An extremely positive visit, with concrete results in terms of the signing of legal instruments”, he summed up, taking the opportunity to reiterate the commitment to continue working “as two sister countries” for the effective implementation of these agreements.
“May they bring results for both countries and we continue to create better living conditions for our two peoples (…), because Mozambique is Angola, Angola is Mozambique. We are two sister peoples and we must remain united, cohesive and work increasingly hard to develop our two countries”, concluded Chapo.
The Mozambican presidency said the day before that the head of state’s visit to Angola “constitutes an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations, in order to provide a more proactive dynamic and identify other areas of cooperation of mutual interest, with emphasis on the economic domain”.
In addition to the meeting with his counterpart, Daniel Chapo's program includes a visit to the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone and a dinner in his honor organized by the Angolan Banking Association.
According to the Angola-Mozambique Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIAM), in 2024, trade between the two countries reached a paltry value of around 10 million dollars.
The president of CCIAM, Célia Cipriano, told Lusa that Angolan companies present in Mozambique operate mainly in the oil, energy, logistics and agro-industry sectors, with the presence of Mozambican companies in Angola "still a bit modest, but it is growing”, especially in light of the strengthening of bilateral relations.
“At the moment we have 38 bilateral agreements, which are fundamental to leverage both parties, both Angola and Mozambique, this facilitates companies and bilateral trade”, he highlighted, considering that Daniel Chapo's visit to Luanda will promote new opportunities and key partnerships in areas such as agriculture, tourism, industry and professional training.
