Portugal and São Tomé put health and education at the heart of cooperation for the next five years
The program, signed by the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ana Paula Zacarias, on the part of Portugal, and Edite Ten Jua, Minister of Foreign Affairs of São Tomé and Príncipe, “increases by almost 30% the value of the previous PEC”, he said a Portuguese ruler.
Ana Paula Zacarias underlined the “assured continuity” of cooperation between the two countries, “despite the pandemic situation” and stated that the previous program was developed “very effectively”, without specifying the rate of execution, at a conference press conference in which journalists were not given the opportunity to ask questions.
“We managed to execute the previous program very effectively and now continue it, including increasing the areas of our cooperation”, said the Secretary of State, developing that health and education are like “two major priority areas” of the new cooperation instrument. between the two countries.
For her part, Edite Ten Jua corroborated this indication, immediately emphasizing the importance of the “Health for All” program, which includes the “areas of primary, secondary and tertiary health”, especially in this pandemic situation.
The São Tomé government official also “thanked” Portugal for its support in fighting the pandemic, explaining that São Tomé and Príncipe had “the support of the Portuguese side at all levels”, from prevention to the vaccination process.
“We benefited from several lots [de vacinas], an offer made by the Portuguese to the Portuguese-speaking African Countries and to Timor-Leste, which does not allow the vaccination process to be followed without any interruption. Allow me to thank “Portugal,” said the minister.
In addition to the areas of education and justice, which he considers “extremely important”, the Sao Tome head of diplomacy highlighted the area of security.
“Another extremely important aspect is the issue of defense and security. São Tomé and Príncipe is located in the Gulf of Guinea, we have many situations of piracy in this area and we have had the support of Portuguese cooperation for many years to maintain security in that region” , he explained.
“It’s a matter that worries the São Toméans, but not only. It worries all those who take the Atlantic route, it’s a transit zone for [navios] fishing boats, [navios] freighters, oil tankers and all North-South international trade ends up passing through this region. Portugal has been a strategic strategic in this area in particular”, pointed out Edite Tem Jua.
According to the Sao Tome official, “this PEC has some innovations”, having opened new areas of cooperation, namely in tourism.
“We understand that, considering São Tomé and Príncipe that tourism is one of its pillars of development, we have introduced this domain of cooperation. Portugal has a lot to share with us in this sector,” he said.
Another of the new areas is cooperation in the field of social communication, where “it was necessary to improve cooperation”, he said.
The São Tomé government official also underlined the need for specialized cooperation in the field of manufacturing industries, particularly those linked to the sea, stating that “São Tomé is a group of small islands, but it has an immense sea”.