During his state visit to India, Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco called for a stronger economic partnership between Angola and India. In a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Lourenco highlighted his aim to deepen bilateral ties.
He said, “Both our nations combined can help establish a significantly expanded foundation for business opportunities.” He also shared that he came to India not only to express admiration and friendship but also to present “a new vision for relations between our countries.”
On the other hand, Prime Minister Modi emphasized India’s growing engagement with Africa. He praised Angola’s leadership of the African Union and noted how crucial it is for achieving the common goals of the Global South.
PM Modi spoke about India’s ongoing efforts to build stronger ties with African countries. He mentioned that trade between India and Africa has now reached almost USD 100 billion. In addition, India has offered credit lines worth USD 12 billion to African nations.
“India and the African Union are partners in progress and pillars of the Global South. Under Angola’s presidency, the strength of India and the African Union’s partnership will strengthen further. In the last 10 years, India has gained speed in cooperation with African nations. Trade has reached almost USD 100 billion. We’ve improved defence cooperation and maritime security. Last month, India and Africa had their first naval maritime exercise,” said PM Modi.
He further added, “In the last 10 years, we’ve opened 17 new embassies in Africa. Credit line worth USD 12 billion have been opened for Africa. African nations have also been provided USD 700 million in grants. We have opened vocational training centres across eight countries in Africa. We are aiding in building digital public infrastructure across five countries.”
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi welcomed President Lourenco at Hyderabad House. The two leaders later held a bilateral meeting, which was also attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
