Bissau, July 22, 2025 (Lusa) - Former Guinean Foreign Minister Suzy Barbosa told Lusa on Tuesday that she has been appointed as a member of a team of 50 African counsellors for the Spanish government, to help Madrid with its cooperation strategy with the continent.
The former head of Guinean diplomacy told Lusa in a telephone interview that she took part last week in Madrid in the launch of the Spain-Africa Consultative Council, chaired by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.
The council, she said, is composed of African personalities, including former presidents, vice-presidents, and heads of diplomacy, and its mission is to advise the Spanish government on its new strategy for the African continent. This strategy aims to strengthen cooperation over the next five years, with a focus on 2025 and 2028.
Suzy Barbosa explained that she was appointed to the team of African counsellors by the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, in December 2024.
The former Guinean government official, who spoke to Lusa from Lisbon, where she is currently studying for a doctorate in African studies, said she was invited because of her knowledge of the West African region, Spain's priority given its geographical proximity, as "one of the illustrious figures" of that region.
Suzy Barbosa, who is also part of a restricted council of eight African personalities in the Spanish government's team of 50 counsellors, highlighted her knowledge of the reality of Portuguese-speaking African countries.
This select group of counsellors includes, among others, the former vice-president of Angola, Burnito de Sousa, said the 52-year-old former head of Guinean diplomacy, who has a degree in Social and Political Sciences from the Technical University of Lisbon.
According to Suzy Barbosa, the new Spanish strategy, to be implemented for each African country, is based on five pillars and includes 100 measures, which Guinean politics has not specified.
"Spain sees Africa as a great opportunity," Barbosa said, pointing to the continent's geographical proximity, history and economic interest due to its potential in terms of young people.
In the past, Suzy Barbosa emphasised, Spain "was never a country with a presence in Africa", a situation that she now wants to reverse, above all because of the shortening of US support and also because of the reduction of the French presence in Africa.
The former Guinean government official considers Spain's positioning concerning Africa to be a "brilliant strategy" and "an opportunity to enter" the continent, also serving as a bridge with the European Union.
The Spain-Africa Consultative Council will also look at illegal immigration, noted the former Guinean leader.
Asked what she will propose to the Spanish government concerning Guinea-Bissau, Suzy Barbosa pointed out that she will have to act coherently and impartially, but without neglecting advice for her home country.
Barbosa stated that Spain's cooperation with Guinea-Bissau should encompass technical and vocational training, as well as support for transformation and projects related to tourism and the environment, to create employment opportunities for young people.
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