Luanda, May 16, 2025 (Lusa) - Mozambican president, Daniel Chapo, emphasised the importance of the agreements signed on Friday during his visit to Luanda, namely the one that will allow an air link between Mozambique and Angola, essential for speeding up economic development.
Daniel Chapo was speaking to the press at the Presidential Palace in Luanda after a meeting with his Angolan 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 co-operation in the areas of transport, culture, social action and tourism.
"We think it's important to sign these agreements, 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 involves the movement of people and goods," emphasised 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” speed up the process of economic development, as will the cultural, tourism and social areas.
Daniel Chapo emphasised the setting up of a joint technical team to assess existing agreements, their level of implementation and the ongoing assessment of the agreements that were signed today.
"An extremely positive visit, with concrete results in terms of signing legal instruments," he summarised, taking the opportunity to reiterate the commitment to continue working "as two brotherly countries" for the effective implementation of these agreements.
"May they bring results for both countries and may we continue to create better living conditions for our two peoples (...), because Mozambique is Angola, Angola is Mozambique. We are two brotherly peoples and we must remain united, cohesive and work ever harder to develop our two countries," concluded Chapo.
The Mozambican presidency said the day before that the head of state's visit to Angola "is an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations, in order to give them a more proactive dynamic and identify other areas of co-operation of mutual interest, especially in the economic field".
In addition to the meeting with his Angolan counterpart, Daniel Chapo's programme includes a visit to the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone and a dinner in his honour organised by the Angolan Banking Association.
According to the Angola-Mozambique Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIAM), in 2024 trade between the two countries reached the derisory figure of around US$10 million (€8.9 million).
The head of CCIAM, Célia Cipriano, told Lusa that the Angolan companies present in Mozambique operate essentially in the oil, energy, logistics and agro-industry sectors, with the presence of Mozambican companies in Angola "still a little modest, but growing," especially in light of the strengthening of bilateral relations.
"At the moment we have 38 bilateral agreements, which are fundamental to leveraging the two sides, both Angola and Mozambique, this facilitates companies and bilateral trade," she emphasised, considering that Daniel Chapo's visit to Luanda will promote new opportunities and key partnerships in areas such as agriculture, tourism, industry and vocational training.
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