According to a note sent by the President's office, João Lourenço and the South African namesake, Cyril Ramaphosa - who is also the acting president of the African Union -, talked about “the covid-19 pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, the conflict in Libya, oil production according to the OPEC [Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries] plans and the tensions surrounding the hydroelectric development under construction by Ethiopia on the Nile River”.
According to the latest data from the African Union, South Africa is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic on the continent, with more than 150,000 cases since the beginning of March, including 2657 recovered deaths. In turn, Angola registers 315 infected and 17 dead.
In the conversation, the two heads of state also approached Libya, a country that has been in an internal upheaval since 2011, when Muammar Gaddafi's regime was overthrown.
The country has been divided between rival governments, one in the east, the other in the capital, each supported by armed groups and foreign governments.
The forces of military commander Khalifa Haftar are supported by the Russian Federation, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while those in Tripoli have contributions from Turkey, Italy and Qatar.
Oil production was also discussed by the two presidents, after it was reduced in an attempt by OPEC and its partners to balance the price of a barrel of oil, affected by the covid-19 pandemic.
In April, OPEC countries approved a cut of 9.7 million barrels per day between 1 May and 30 June this year, and this cut should then be readjusted to 8 million barrels per day by the end of the year, in a attempt to level a market particularly affected by the covid-19 pandemic.
On 6 June, OPEC + decided to postpone this record cut until 31 July and analyze the compliance with the agreement and the market situation on a monthly basis.
Due to the consequences of the spread of the new coronavirus, with the impact on the economy and the decrease in consumption, the OPEC Joint Technical Committee has been recommending cuts in oil production.
Finally, according to the note, João Lourenço and Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the problem of the construction of the Great Dam of the Renaissance, by Addis Ababa, a megaproject with a cost of 4.6 billion dollars, which intends to supply electricity to 100 million people. Ethiopian inhabitants.
The dam in question, on the Blue Nile, a river that joins the White Nile and the Atbara River and originates the Nile River, has caused divisions between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
On 27 June, Ethiopia admitted to starting filling the reservoir of the electric dam within two weeks, hours after leaders from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia resumed talks aiming for an agreement on this operation.
