Luanda - President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Friday evening that his country should never have left the African continent.
"Brazil has no idea of how many things it can do with African countries", that was how President Lula da Silva's speech at the 1st Angola/Brazil Economic Forum began, which brought together 500 businessmen, of whom 170 Brazilians.
According to Lula da Silva, there are people, in ignorance, who think that doing business with rich countries is much better, when they only want to export products with high added value and only want to buy commodities from poor countries, such as soy, iron ore and meat.
"It is important for us to find out that investment is almost like prospecting", he stressed, referring that several times he convinced businessmen in his country to establish partnerships on the African continent, for the production of methanol and other products for export.
For this reason, he claims to have returned to Africa to tell Brazilian and Angolan businessmen that "we are back for real", giving financing to African countries and investment to Angola, as a "good payer".
In the presence of his Angolan counterpart João Lourenço, the President of Brazil stated that Angola was always a country that assured that every dollar invested would be reimbursed and "it did so".
"I have a special affection for Africa, because this continent offers the opportunities that Brazil sometimes looks for in other places", he considered.
He referred that his country can also help African countries in many things, among which he highlighted Embrapa's technological and agricultural potential.
Over the years outside the government, Lula da Silva observed that China, India, Türkiye and other countries invested in Africa and South America, when his country failed to do so.
The issues of social inequalities were once again raised by the Brazilian President who sees inequalities in several areas.
In his opinion, the lack of food among the population is linked to the lack of a better distribution of the world's wealth.
"What we need is to take the pool of money that the world manages to produce and distribute it better", he defends.
IMF debt
The debt of African countries to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of around 800 billion dollars was once again addressed.
Lula da Silva questions why the IMF and the developed world do not transform the African continent's debt into money for development instead of returning it to their coffers or carrying out works that are lacking in countries in debt, such as projects related to energy.
"This discussion is what we should have. If we think everything is normal, we won't see things change", he noted.
At the Angola/Brazil Economic Forum, investment opportunities in various areas were presented, as well as fiscal policies. NE/SC/ADR/NIC
