The Prime Minister of Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) on Tuesday said that his country is available and committed to creating the basis for being an international service centre, supported by a rapidly growing tourist market and positioning that creates conditions to access markets in Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva, who was speaking at the opening session of the 5th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macau, noted that tourism and the maritime economy are areas of economic growth in Cabo Verde, and are two sectors “that amplify our small domestic market abroad and have a leverage effect on other sectors of the economy.”
The Prime Minister said that Cabo Verde wants to become the gateway to West Africa “through added value that can contribute in terms of location, stability, predictability, legal certainty, commercial facilities and knowledge.”
The tourist potential of Guinea-Bissau and the potential of its agriculture were mentioned by the Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, Baciro Dja in his speech at the opening ceremony of the ministerial conference that began on Tuesday in Macau.
The Prime Minister of Mozambique, Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, said he believed the future Confederation of Entrepreneurs from China and the Portuguese-SpeakingCountries which will be based in Macau, announced by the Chinese Prime Minister, will give “a new impetus” to Sino-Lusophone relations.
Rosario also said that cooperation with China is important for his country and said the areas of infrastructure, agriculture, energy and manufacturing industry are the most attractive for investment.
The establishment of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs from China and the Portuguese-Speaking Countries, whose office will be in Macau, was one of the measures announced today by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, during the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Forum.
At the meeting on Tuesday the Angolan Economy Minister, Abrahão Gourgel announced Luanda would host an Angola-China Investment Forum in November to strengthen the development of synergies to create business partnerships and investments between businesspeople from both countries .
Gourgel also called for raising greater awareness of Forum Macau’s role among businesspeople from the Portuguese-speaking countries to allow an increase in China’s cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries that are members of the Forum.
The Timor-Leste Minister of State, Coordinator of Economic Affairs and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Estanislau Aleixo da Silva, speaking at the same ceremony noted that the Strategic Plan for the country’s development for 2011-2030 aims to ensure that Timor-Leste is part of the group of upper middle-income countries, where poverty is eradicated and to create a sustainable and diversified non-oil economy.
Aleixo da Silva also called for the need to change the current situation where the economy is mainly financed by public funds, to another model mainly funded by private investment.
The Timorese minister also said that in order to consolidate the sustainability of the economy, Timor-Leste is diversifying priority sectors, attracting investment and creating stable jobs in downstream activities in the oil industry, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and industry.
The Brazilian Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade and Services, Marcos Pereira, used the meeting to publicise Brazil’s new trade policy following recent political changes, pointing out that foreign trade is the engine of the future development of the country.
(Macau News / Macauhub)
