Focusing on increasing educational and business synergies between the United States and Portugal will be among the new United States Ambassador to Lisbon’s key priorities over the next three years, writes CHRIS GRAEME.
US Ambassador to Portugal Allan Katz said he was determined to work with American businesses in Portugal so that they “partnered with Portugal” with specific focus on Portugal’s role as a gateway to Lusophone Africa.
“This can be a win-win relationship where Americans can take advantage of Portugal’s expertise and contacts and Portuguese companies can take advantage of American capital in these rapidly expanding African markets,” he said.
Next month, the US Embassy in cooperation with the American Chamber of Commerce, will be organising a three-day Africa Access Seminar which aims to be a meeting place between American and Portuguese businesses to promote partnerships in Africa, and will involve the ambassadors of Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde.
Education is another key to joint US-Portugal strategic business and research and development partnerships.
American educational institutions and the opportunities they provide is one of the things that has made America great. Over the last 15 years, the Fulbright Programme – the US flagship scholarship programme – has helped over 2,000 US and Portuguese students study in the respective countries on exchange scholarships.
Through the Foundation of Science & Technology, the Portuguese Government has provided many millions of dollars to partnering projects in United States universities like MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and the University of Texas in Austin. These programmes are in addition to the innumerable other cooperative projects that exist at all levels between US and Portuguese educational institutions.
“One of my priorities as an ambassador will be to support these on-going programmes and encourage even further cooperation,” said the ambassador.
The second priority is to develop new business synergies between the United States and Portugal.
“It is already clear that Portugal has a significant foothold in Lusophone Africa and, in an unprecedented step, the US s (ACSS) has decided to hold its annual key event in Portugal, which previously was only ever held in either the US or Africa.
“I think this decision is very significant and acknowledges the excellent and important work Portugal does in Africa. I’m convinced the United States and Portugal must expand upon their current business relationship to take advantage of new business opportunities in Lusophone Africa,” said Allan Katz, adding that the “presence of 10,000 Portuguese businesses in Africa spoke for itself.”
In 2008, when the world economy grew by 2.9 per cent, Lusophone Africa was witnessing growth rates of 13 per cent in Angola, six per cent in Cape Verde and seven per cent in Mozambique.
“As these economies continue to grow, so does the need for quality goods and services in terms of energy and medical equipment, infrastructure, new technology and business services, much of which could be provided by the United States,” he said.
“I’ve been using the expression ‘getting on the right side of history’ because I think the Obama administration has, in many ways, tried to do that – we’re talking to our allies such as Portugal, we’re focusing on a more just and fairer United States, such as the health care bill we passed. We’re reforming a broken financial system,” he said.
“I strongly believe that we can do the most in the world when we are actively and effectively engaged,” he concluded.
