ANGOLAN PRESIDENT AT DEBATE ON AFRICAN ECONOMY

Luanda - The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, is participating Tuesday, along with several African counterparts, in the Summit on the African Economy, being held in the French capital, Paris.

The meeting, an initiative of the French government, brings together dozens of African leaders at the Grand Palais Éphémère-Champ de Mars to debate the re-launch of growth in the economies of African countries, based on the involvement of international partners and the creation of a massive support package.

At the launch of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron's African advisors said that the meeting would aim to deepen two lines of aid.

The first is the creation of a massive support package destined for the continent to overcome the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The second aims to lay the foundation for a new cycle of growth that will benefit the people of Africa, but which can also be an engine for the entire global economy.

The Summit agenda, to which ANGOP had access, indicates that the event will take place in two sessions, all in the afternoon. The first will be on "External financing and treatment of debts" and the second on "African private sector, reforms and infrastructures".

In the sessions, which will be interactive, participants will have the right to three minutes per speech.

The Summit closes with a press conference to be given by the French Head of State, Emmanuel Macron, in the presence of the Acting President of the African Union, Félix Tshisekedi.

In addition to dozens of Presidents of African nations, the leaders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation, the UN, the African Union and the European Union will attend the sessions.

The IMF estimates that African countries have financing needs equivalent to $450 billion by 2025, hence the idea of increasing emergency aid to Africa.

Meetings with Macron and António Costa

On Tuesday morning, the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, will meet with the host, Emmanuel Macron, and the two are due to discuss issues linked to bilateral cooperation, as well as current African and world affairs.

At the beginning of the evening, after the summit, President Lourenço will meet the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, who has come to the French capital to take part in the summit on Africa's economy.