Luanda, Nov. 24, 2025 (Lusa) - The President of the African Union, Joao Lourenco, said on Monday that the situation of poverty that has dominated Africa for decades cannot continue, calling for the strengthening of means and resources to boost economic cooperation between Europe and Africa.

João Lourenço, speaking at the opening ceremony of the 7th African Union-European Union Summit, stressed that the "poverty that has dominated the continent for decades" cannot be allowed to continue, noting that Africa has "a vital need for access to affordable financing" for the implementation of strategic projects.

According to the Angolan President, these problems affecting Africa are not only a problem for the continent, but also for the rest of the world, which is confronted with issues of deprivation among African peoples, namely epidemics, mass immigration, internal conflicts and other problems.

"It is with the aim of overcoming this state of affairs that I attach great importance to cooperation between the African Union-European Union cooperation, calling for the means and resources to be made available to be strengthened wherever possible in order to boost the economic cooperation we are developing and to encourage European entrepreneurs and investors to take an interest in Africa and invest in the industrialisation of the continent and in sectors of the African economy that drive growth and produce mutual benefits," he said.

The Angolan head of state, who highlighted the deep historical and cooperative ties between the two continents, said that in 25 years, mutual understanding and bilateral cooperation have deepened, and the partnership has expanded to all fields and sectors of mutual interest, with results that encourage "moving forward, as good results are in sight and the future looks increasingly promising."

João Lourenço stressed that the two continents have been building channels of dialogue and cooperation in various areas, such as peace and security, trade and investment, governance, education, health, climate action and digital transformation.

For the AU President, the consolidation of peace, stability and security in Africa is essential for accelerating economic integration, empowering youth and women, and ensuring progress in climate resilience and energy transition.

"We are aware of the efforts that must be made to improve, in general, the cooperation models that are essential to derive the greatest possible benefits from our partnership, which has proved to be dynamic and very much geared towards contributing to the resolution of the main problems and challenges we face in the process of economic and social development in our countries," he stressed.

This 7th summit, João Lourenço continued, serves as an opportunity for in-depth reflection on the trajectory of relations and to make any necessary corrections, because the two continents, "in a framework of mutual respect, have much more to gain than to lose if they always walk together, strengthen exchanges between themselves, complementing each other with the best that each has to offer the other."

"Together we have everything to benefit and develop our continents, all we have to do is share and cooperate for mutual benefit," said João Lourenço, adding that Europe has everything to gain "if it has partnership and cooperation with a developed Africa that does not send illegal immigrants to European countries via the Mediterranean Sea and does not have a constant need to ask for donations and debt forgiveness."

According to João Lourenço, there are "many good examples of cooperation" between these two institutions, which are generally illustrated by initiatives encompassing the Global Gateway and at the bilateral level, particularly the relationship between Angola and the European Union, the partnership developed under the Joint Path, which has been progressing "satisfactorily, and it is recommended that it be maintained and consolidated".

João Lourenço advocated a relationship between the AU and the EU based on "a spirit of pragmatism, free from bureaucratic red tape that often slows down the smooth running and implementation of important jointly planned actions".

The AU president called for projects to be carried out to ensure the employability of young people, starting with guaranteeing them vocational training, in order to respond to the shortage of staff in Africa and enable African youth to integrate into joint projects and fill the shortage of skilled labour for European and other companies investing in Africa.

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