Brussels — The Angolan president and chairperson of the African Union, João Lourenço, ended on Thursday his working visit to Brussels, Belgium, after participating in the second edition of the Global Gateway 2025 Forum.
Lourenço arrived in the Belgian capital on Wednesday and addressed the opening ceremony of the event on Thursday. The forum is a European Union initiative that promotes global partnerships in sustainable infrastructure, connectivity, and strategic investment.
In his speech, the AU leader emphasized the importance of strengthening strategic cooperation between the continental organization and the EU, noting that it has enabled significant progress in developing projects for Africa's growth.
Joaõ Lourenço emphasized that the partnership between Africa and Europe "goes far beyond building infrastructure," also encompassing human capacity building, technical training, and regulatory modernization--factors that guarantee lasting benefits for the African population.
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On the sidelines of the event, the Angolan Head of State discussed matters of common interest within the framework of the strategic partnership between Angola and the European Union with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
They discussed issues related to European Union projects in Angola, particularly the Lobito Corridor (Benguela), as well as infrastructure construction on the African continent.
President Lourenço also met with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, to discuss regional and international relations between their countries.
He also met with the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), Jorge Moreira da Silva.
During the meeting, projects that promote cooperation between Angola, the African Union, and the United Nations were discussed. These projects focus on modernizing infrastructure, improving public governance, ensuring environmental sustainability, and strengthening institutions.
The AU chairperson met with Sudanese businessman and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The foundation is recognized for promoting good governance, ethical leadership, and transparency in Africa.
