MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2013

Transcrição

MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2013 - N. 06
02
Eng. José Eduardo dos Santos, Angolan Republic President
Angola celebrates
11 years of effective peace
O
n 4 April, the Republic
of Angola celebrated the
eleven years of peace experienced since the end
of the civil war that devastated the
country, just over a decade that has
transformed the former Portuguese
colony into one of the countries with
the highest growth rate in Africa.
The date was made a national holiday and has become for Angolans
an important historical milestone
in the people’s struggle, marking a
decisive turning point in the political
process and Angola’s development.
It is also one of the Angolan people’s
greatest gains after national independence on 11 November 1975.
Today, eleven years later, there
is a climate of just and definitive
peace in the country. This is an important time in its history such as
has never before been experienced
by the Angolan people, not even in
the distant past or since the birth
of Angola as an independent and
sovereign state.
Peace is the result of the efforts
of Angolans, who understood the
need to end hostilities and start the
process of completing the pending
items of the Lusaka Protocol.
It is the wish of Angolans to
build a united, staunch and mature
country guided by the values of national unity, democracy, social justice
and respect for human rights.
Today the Angolan people face
new challenges, since it has become
WEZA 06 - Mar/Apr 2013
Director:
Embaixador Miguel Neto
Editor & Proofreading:
António Nascimento
Photography:
Quim Mbaya
Translation:
Marga Holness
Graphic Design:
Kassim Design
Copies:
2000 exemplares
Printer:
Capital Printers
Graphic Execution:
Press Office of the Embassy
Cover image: www.123rf.com/profile_irochka
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.angola.org.uk
Address:
22 Dorset Street
London
W1U 6QY
United Kingdom
Tel: 020-72999850
Fax: 020-79354960
03
imperative to continue efforts to
strengthen those principles by furthering action to combat hunger and
poverty.
The Angolan government has
promoted tolerance and respect for
differences of opinion and party affiliations, while encouraging patriotic feelings in the population, especially among children and young
people, and strengthening the institutions of the democratic state based
on the rule of law, as an indispensable premise for taking new firm steps
to achieve the harmonious growth of
the country.
According to the President of the
Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos,
“anyone who really loves peace has to be
able to forgive and reconcile themselves
with their neighbour, thus contributing to genuine and sound unity among
Angolans, without affecting differences
that one or the other may express”
Generals Armando da Cruz Neto (FAA) and Abreu Muengo “Kamorteiro”
(UNITA), at the ceremony of the peace agreement in Angola
04
AMBASSADOR MIGUEL GASPAR
FERNANDES NETO, The new Chief
of the Diplomatic Mission, non
resident, in Ireland
The Angolan diplomat Miguel Gaspar Fernandes Neto presented his
credentials as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the Republic of Angola to the Republic of Ireland to Michael Higgins,
President of Ireland, on 26 March.
Angola and Ireland strengthen their friendship and bilateral cooperation
I
n the course of the ceremony they
welcomed the excellent relations
between the two countries and
expressed their determination to
further strengthen ties of bilateral
cooperation.
During the meeting, which was
attended by Alex White, Minister of
State for Health, the Irish President
said he had followed the political
situation in Angola, the economic
developments and the steps taken
to establish multiparty democracy,
as well as the important role played
by Angola in bringing peace to that
part of Africa.
During the presentation of his
Letters figured to Joe Brennan,
Deputy Chief of Protocol in the
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Ambassador
Miguel
Gaspar
Fernandes Neto spoke of the current
situation in Angola with regard to
economic and social development, as
well as the excellent and active role
played by the country in regional and
international organisations.
He stressed Angola’s work in
the Southern African Development
Community and the Community
of Portuguese Language Countries,
which had contributed to the
solution of regional and world issues.
In addition to the ceremonies, the
new Ambassador, accompanied by
his wife, Emília Moreno Neto, and
the Minister Counsellor, Eduardo
Neto Sangueve, had separate
working meetings with the dean of
05
the diplomatic corps in Ireland and
the deputy director for international
cooperation in the Irish Department
of Foreign Affairs.
In his long diplomatic career,
Miguel Gaspar Fernandes Neto, who
is 62 years old, has been Angola’s
Ambassador to many countries in
the world, including Egypt, Nigeria,
Rwanda, Lesotho, South Africa and
Mauritius. He has been Angolan
representative to the African
Union and to the UN Economic
Commission for Africa.
Miguel Gaspar Fernandes Neto
is also head of Angola’s diplomatic
mission in the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
where he is resident.
As a diplomat, he has also been
Director for Africa and the Middle
East in Angola’s Ministry of External
Relations.
The Republic of Ireland is a
European country in the northwest
of the continent. It covers an area
of 70,284 square kilometres and has
about 4.5 million inhabitants.
The country has notable social
and economic achievements, since
it has the fifth highest per capita
income in the world and the fifth
highest Human Development Index
(HDI) ranking, with a good quality
of life.
The island of Ireland divided
into the Republic of Ireland (which
occupies most of territory) and
1st Brigade of Artilhary of the Presidential Regiment “Collins Barracks Cork”
Northern Ireland. The country
became independent of the United
Kingdom on 24 April 1916 and was
recognised on 6 December 1922.
It joined the European Union on 1
January 1973.
With a per capita income of
$47,168, life expectancy in Ireland is
78.6, illiteracy is 99,9% , most people
are religious and the currency is the
euro.
Ireland has a small and modern
economy based on trade. It had an
average growth rate of 6 percent
between 1995 and 2007 and an
average of 9 percent between 1995
and 2001, becoming the developed
country with the greatest GDP
growth
06
Angola to have four new
state higher education
institutes by 2017
B
y 2017, Angola will have
another four state higher
education institutes
that are being built in
Luanda, Malanje, Kwanza Sul
and Namibe.
This was announced in Soyo
by Manuel Domingos Vicente,
Vice-President of the Republic
of Angola, who also said that the
Angolan university population
would increase by 200,000 students in the next five years.
The government five-year programme for 2012-2017 forecasts
the enrolment of 200,000 new
higher education students.
It is to this end that work has
started on the construction of the
Higher Institute of Information
and Communication in Luanda,
the Higher Petroleum Institute
in Kwanza Sul, the Agro-Food
Technology School in Malanje
and the Higher Fisheries
Institute in Namibe.
Eng. Manuel Domingos Vicente, Vice-President of the Republic of Angola
07
Angolan Ambassador talks
about cultural diplomacy in
the British parliament
Miguel Gaspar Fernandes Neto, Angola’s Ambassador to the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, said in London that
Angola is a country whose people comprise many ethnic groups and
historical-cultural communities that possess a rich and diversified cultural
heritage, which is developing and within which they interact.
H
e was speaking in the
House of Lords on the
subject “Angola, state
multiculturalism, dialogue of cultures” in the presence of
Members of Parliament, Academics,
Ambassadors from Africa, Europe
and the Middle East accredited in
Britain and students from different
universities in the United Kingdom.
The Ambassador said that Angola
has its own identity, which must be
preserved the enriched, in order to
strengthen a firm feeling of identity,
pride and national unity, constituting a revitalising force in the process
of cultural development.
He stressed that Angola’s culture is expressed in its material and
spiritual values, which constitute the
Angolan people’s cultural heritage.
Miguel Neto also spoke of the
Angolan cultural identity and its
ethno-linguistic process, calling on
those present to study and value
the country’s culture, which is
expressed through its traditions,
beliefs, art, dance, literature,
gastronomy, films and, especially,
through its national languages of
Bantu origin.
In his lengthy address, the
Ambassador also referred to the process of globalisation, the ideologies
of which bring foreign elements that
both enrich and weaken the cultural
values and norms of any country.
In this respect, the Ambassador
explained that the Angolan government has adopted a policy of cultural
development that makes it possible
for cultural institutions to be able
and capable of dealing with the consequences of this, so as to preserve
identity without resorting to action
contrary to human rights or essential
values that could harm the nation.
For three days, the participants
in the conference on cultural diplomacy also discussed subjects related
to “the multicultural state: inter-disciplinary analysis of political, economic
and cultural dimensions”, “the cultural and environmental component
in the study of the common cause in
the Middle East”, “the role of sport in
building cultural bridges, case study of
2012 Olymipic Games” and “commercial roots like a big orchestra for unity
in the diaspora, through music”.
They also discussed “immigration, integration and cultural identity”, “opera as a vehicle of cultural
diplomacy to sustain multiculturalism”,
“Islamophobia in the west”, “the prevalence of multiculturalism in the United
Kingdom” and “drama: a means of
revitalising historical understanding”
Participants at the Cultural Diplomacy Conference in London, United Kingdom
08
British Minister
encourages private
investment in Angola
Mark Simonds, the Foreign Office Minister for Africa, told British
business people in London that Angola offered great business
opportunities and advised them to invest in the country.
S
peaking at the opening of an
economic forum to discuss
the possibilities of triangular commercial partnerships between Angola, the United
Kingdom and Portugal, he gave the
business people assurances about the
political stability, peace and development now established in Angola
after many years of conflict.
The British Minister said that
Angola had great economic potential and sufficient natural resources
to become an important partner for
the international community and the
United Kingdom in particular.
Stating that a lack of knowledge
of the legal and administrative system in Angola and of the Portuguese
language as a means of communication was a big hindrance for British
business people, he said the United
Kingdom was working in close cooperation with renowned Portuguese
companies that know the Angolan
market and operate in it, with a view
to overcoming these difficulties.
The British government, he
said, wanted United Kingdom
companies to be more aggressive
in business with Angola, exploring
all the investment areas made available by the Angolan authorities, especially in respect of education, vocational training, financial services
and infrastructure development.
The National Agency for Private
Investment (ANIP), approved 35
investment projects from the United
Kingdom between 2008 and 2012
Mark Simonds, the Foreign Office Minister for Africa
and the same number from South
Africa, while the biggest investors
were Portugal, with 739 projects,
and China, with 181. ANIP has
approved private foreign funding
amounting to approximately 10 billion kwanzas.
The Angolan government has
implemented policies to attract private investment in different sectors
of the economy, revising and modernising its procedures, in order to
ensure regional and international efficiency and competitiveness.
The main purpose of the forum
was to make British business people
aware of the advantages of increased
investment in Angola, in view of
the many business opportunities the
country offers in the areas of minerals, oil, agriculture, services, infrastructure development, road building, bridges, railways, electricity,
water and sanitation. New opportunities are also arising in respect of
natural resources, including the exploration of gas and hydrocarbons.
The forum was attended by officials and the representatives
of 65 British companies and 15
Portuguese ones, as well as business
people from Angola, Portugal and
Mozambique, with special mention
of the presence of Álvaro Santos
Pereira, Portugal’s Minister of the
Economy and Employment.
Angola was represented by diplomats from its Embassy in the United
Kingdom and a senior ANIP representative, who spoke of the Angolan
government’s policies as reflected in
the new Law on Private Investment.
One of the speakers was Carlos
dos Santos, the Mozambican High
Commissioner in London, who
gave a brief outline of the business
opportunities and economic potential of his country.
The participants decided to hold
a similar seminar in Lisbon, on 10
and 11 April, to discuss Portugal’s
contribution as an essential aspect of
re-launching British investment in
Angola
The British Minister said that Angola had great economic potential and sufficient
natural resources to become an important partner for the international community
and the United Kingdom in particular.
Participants of the triangular economic fórum Angola, United Kingdom and Portugal, held in London
09
10
Importance of Angola’s
national symbols stressed
in Manchester
The Angolan Embassy in the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland presented the booklet “Know
Angola’s national symbols” to the Angolan community
resident in Manchester.
Minister-Counsellor, Eduardo Neto Sangueve, with the Angolan children of “Holy Name”, primary school
in the Diocese of Salford, Manchester
11
T
he ceremony took place at the
Holy Name primary school
in the diocese of Salford,
where there are more than
32 primary and secondary Angolan
students, an initiative of the Angolan
Association in Greater Manchester
(AAGM) in cooperation with the
children’s parents.
Minister Counsellor Eduardo
Neto Sangueve, representing Ambassador Miguel Gaspar Fernandes
Neto, spoke of the importance of
Angola’s national symbols, their
historical context and the attitude
every citizen should have towards
them.
The Angolan diplomat described
the national flag and its colours, the
insignia and the national anthem
of the Republic of Angola, while
speaking of the need to encourage
children to respect the national
symbols, imbuing them with
principles that give rise to patriotism.
The name of the President of
the Republic of Angola was not
unknown to most of the Angolan
children, because when the Minister
Counsellor was about to mention
it, the youngsters shouted “José
Eduardo dos Santos”. Others did
not know the complete name, but
said “dos Santos”.
The knowledge of the young
students surprised the management
of the school who, in addition to
praising the diplomatic mission,
encouraged it to have more such
activities.
Eduardo Sangueve explained that
Angola’s national flag should be
seen as synthesising the historical
process leading to independence.
He said the national symbols
represented the Angolan people’s
bravery and their integrity, identity
and national sovereignty.
The booklet is a practical educational guide for children and
adolescents aimed at contributing
to a greater knowledge and understanding of and respect for the
symbols.
In a guided visit of the Holy
Name primary school in the Salford
diocese, Eduardo Sangueve was
told that the Angolan students had
done outstanding work in class,
with excellent marks and a sound
knowledge of universal general
culture
The knowledge of the young students surprised the management of the
school who, in addition to praising the diplomatic mission, encouraged it
to have more such activities.
12
Sheffield University
students informed about
Angola’s economic
potential
More than a hundred students at Britain’s Sheffield University
have learnt that Angola’s economic potential is great and
diversified and that it has earned the special attention of both
national and foreign entrepreneurs.
The information was given during a meeting organised by the
university on the real economic potential of Angola and Nigeria,
the major oil producers in Africa.
Students of the University of Sheffield at the economic forum
13
T
he MA students were told
that Angola has the biggest
reserves of oil, liquefied
natural gas and diamonds
in Africa, as well as other mineral
resources. Its maritime coast extends
for 1,650 kilometres and there are
important fish and crustacean species in its waters.
The diplomat Eduardo Sangueve,
who gave an account of Angola’s
economic potential, explained that
in addition to oil, Angola has vast
areas of fertile soil, an estimated 3.5
nillion hectares, and its climate is
suitable for a large variety of tropical
and semi-tropical crops.
Its many water courses provide
excellent irrigation possibilities
and have a notable hydroelectric
potential for extension also to the
Southern African power grid.
During his talk, the Minister
Counsellor at the Angolan
Embassy in London also referred
to Angola’s forestry resources and
the eco-environmental and landscape features favouring tourism in
Angola. According to the diplomat,
all these factors are sufficiently attractive to awaken the interest of
anyone wishing to contribute to its
sustained development.
In conclusion, he spoke of the
growing capacity for hydroelectric
energy in Angola, which could
increase with the use of liquefied gas
to produce derivatives and thermal
energy. The building of the Capanda
Dam in partnership with Brazilian
and Russian operators, reflects the
Angolan government’s new policy.
In this respect, the Sheffield
University students were told that
the Capanda Dam is part of a system
of nine dams, including Cambambe,
producing surplus power that could
be exported to Botswana, Namibia,
Zambia and other SADC countries,
enabling Angola to become the hub
of the Southern African power grid.
By the end, the students received
documentation about Angolan
economy as well as ANIP information. It was also provided DVD’s
relating the economic and social development of the country
Angola is one of the biggest oil producer in the African continent
Partial view of Sheffield town, United Kingdom
14
Angola attends
110 international
meeting on coffee
th
in London
Participants of the 110th meeting of the International Coffee Conference
15
An Angolan delegation headed by João Ferreira, director-general of the
National Coffee Institute, attended the 110th meeting of the International
Coffee Council held in London from 4 to 8 March to review work done by the
organisation in 2012 and prospects for steps to be taken in the next two years.
D
uring the four-day meeting the delegates discussed
an International Coffee
Organisation(ICO) report
on the admission of new members, a
report on accounts and the situation
on the world coffee market.
Participants focussed attention
on the participation of member
states in the 2007 International
Coffee Agreement, the promotion
and development of the world coffee
market and the programme of activities for 2012-2013.
ICO statistics published in the
monthly report on the coffee market in January 2013 indicate that
exports of coffee beans amounted
to 9.7 million sacks, 19.5 percent
more than total exports last year.
According to the ICO, the total
output of exporting countries rose
to 37.9 million sacks in the first four
months of the 2012-2013 coffee
year, an increase of 15 percent over
the same period the previous year.
It further reports that there was
a slight increase in production in the
African continent, from 15.8 million
sacks in 2010 to 16.1 million in 2011.
Ethiopia and Uganda were the
biggest African coffee producers.
Ethiopian production amounted to
46.5 percent and Ugandan to 20.4
percent.
The Republic of Angola has paid
great attention to developing and
re-launching coffee production in
traditional cultivation areas, improving technical assistance to farmers
and reviving marketing networks
by establishing rural markets for the
purchase and sale of coffee.
The aim of the programme is to
provide technical and institutional
support for producers, so as to enable
them, in the short run, to develop
and re-launch coffee production,
processing, marketing and exports.
The Angolan delegation at
this 110th meeting of the ICO
included Embassy officials Diogo
José Cristiano, First Secretary,
and António Nascimento, Press
Attaché, as well as the delegates
from Cafangol E.P. and the National
Coffee Institute coming under
Angola’s Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development
1st Secretary, Diogo José Cristiano and João Cassule, of the Angolan National Coffee Institute
16
8 March
International
Women’s
Day
17
I
nternational Women’s Day on 8
March symbolises the search for
gender equality, political rights
and empowerment for women.
The establishment of International
Women’s Day was proposed by the
German Clara Zetkin in 1910 at
the 2nd International Congress of
Socialist Women.
After 1970, the date was associated with a fire in New York in
which dozens of striking women
were killed. It was also associated
with a strike of women textile workers in Russia in 1917, which many
regard as an inaugural event in the
Soviet revolution.
It was celebrated for the
first time on 19 March 1911 in
Austria, Denmark, Germany and
Switzerland. The day has been
commemorated since then in many
countries in the world, in recognition of the importance and contribution of women in society.
A further aim of the day is to remind women’s gains in the struggle
against prejudice, whether racial,
sexual, political, cultural, linguistic
or economical.
It is usual on that day to send
women messages of encouragement
and appreciation and paying tribute
to them, as well as sending little surprises like flowers and other gifts.
In addition to this important
date, Angola also celebrates Angolan
Women’s Day in March. Indeed,
2nd March is the day dedicated to
Angolan women and the celebrations takes place all over the country.
The extent of illiteracy, the lack
of equal employment opportunities and domestic violence are some
of the problems Angolan women
still face. Meanwhile, the Angolan
government has been carrying out
policies aimed at solving these issues
Angolan women’s commemorated the Angolan Women’s Day as well as the International Women’s Day, in London
18
The importance
of the
consulate
in the life of
the Angolan
I
community
abroad
The consulate in
any country plays a
substantial role in
the life of its citizens
in the diaspora and,
therefore, in the overall
work of the diplomatic
mission, owing to
the specific nature of
its activity, which is
fundamentally geared to
nationals abroad.
n the United Kingdom, the
Consular Sector of the Angolan
Embassy is headed by First
Secretary Delta Cadete, who
replaces the diplomat Adriano João
da Silva.
The new head of the Consular
Sector describes her new job as
an interesting experience and a
great responsibility, in view of the
complexity and number of the
Angolan community in the United
Kingdom and Ireland, an estimated
25,000.
According to the new official,
the challenge in this new post is
to respond efficiently to all the
requests from people seeking
consular services and complying
with standards and rules established
1st Secretary, Delta Cadete, the new head of the consular sector
19
for the consulate. She said relations
with
the
resident
Angolan
community were good and she
wanted ever greater interaction.
Apart from other duties, the
Consular Sector of the Angolan
Embassy in London has issued
consular cards, registered births,
provided notary services and carried
out marriages. The weekly number
of visas issued and other services
varies between 200 and 300.
Delta Cadete said she plans to
strengthen ties with all members of
the Angolan community living in
the United Kingdom and Republic
of Ireland, so as to ensure that they
are aware of the changes of every
kind taking place in Angola
Consular sector issued consular cards, births certificate, provided
notary services and carried out marriages
Apart from other duties, the Consular Sector of the Angolan Embassy in London
has issued consular cards, registered births, provided notary services and carried out
marriages. The weekly number of visas issued and other services varies between
200 and 300.
Staff of the consular sector of the Embassy of Angola in London, United Kingdom
Comunidade
Angola prepared to hold
large sports events
A
ngola is prepared to
host international
sports events like
those of the African
Handball Confederation
(CAHB) and the International
Handball Federation (IHF).
This was stated by Mustafa
Hassan, president of the IHF,
during a recent visit to Angola.
He said that owing to
Angola’s constant presence in
the Olympic Games and world
championships, the IHF will
support the country through
a programme that it will soon
provide.
The Angolan government
aims to develop sport all over
the country from 2017 to 2025.
Angola has one of the best Handball National Team in Africa

MAGAZINE OF THE EMBASSY OF ANGOLA 2013

Transcrição

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