Angola: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Praises President Joao Lourenco’s Work

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday praised Angola’s President Joao Lourenco for his tough stance and action against corruption in the country, saying it would help attract investment to one of Africa’s largest economies, reported Reuters.

 Pompeo arrived in Angola on Monday on the second leg of a three-nation tour of sub-Saharan Africa, after a productive visit to Senegal. Senegalese and American companies signed five memorandums of understanding on private sector partnerships including the building of a major road in Senegal and a new burns center hospital.

“He has pursued bad actors.  I am optimistic that he will continue to liberate Angolans from corruption,” Pompeo told reporters. “This country has been held hostage to that corruption for far too long. This reform agenda that the president put in place has to stick.”

The U.S. Secretary Of State said that Washington hopes to strengthen cooperation in terms of security, as this way there may be an increase in commercial transactions between the two countries.

During a joint news conference in Luanda, Foreign Minister Manuel Augosto said there is a great potential for cooperation between Angola and the United States to be developed.

Augusto said he wants to believe that Pompeo’s presence is a sign of U.S. President Donald Trump’s support and hopes it signals a new chapter, a whole new relationship between the two countries. 

When asked about President Trump’s Angola visit, Pompeo said the possibility of the President’s visit this year seems very bleak considering that he is currently very busy, especially as 2020 in an election year.

When asked about U.S. competition with China in Angola and other African countries, Pompeo said he would leave others to analyze how the U.S. business model differs from China’s way of business, adding, “When we come, we hire Angolans.” 

Pompeo’s first Africa visit will end on Wednesday in Ethiopia.