The new president of the Business Confederation of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CE-CPLP) says mobility is the main priority and defends the creation of an investment fund in the Lusophone space.
“The main priorities are the agenda of the community of the CPLP countries; the function of the CE-CPLP is to seek tools for what they request us; we have the issue of mobility, that the countries signed the agreements, and this mobility should be effective, because it is signed on paper, but we have to create the conditions for air, sea and land connections to the countries that is possible,” said Nelma Fernandes, a Bissau-Guinean.
In an interview with Lusa following the unanimous vote for president of the CE-CPLP on Monday, the first woman to hold the post said that another of the major objectives is to help companies do more business in the Portuguese-speaking area, particularly in light of the economic slowdown resulting from the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On the CPLP development bank, which was one of the ideas advocated by the previous board, Nelma Fernandes said the creation of a bank is the responsibility of the states and contrasted it with the creation of a specific fund for investments in the CPLP.
“There may be other financial tools, the bank is of common interest to all, but a development bank has to be of the member countries themselves, in a context in which the CE-CPLP will get the tools to complement; a bank has another character and is a matter for the member states,” said the first woman president of the CE-CPLP.
“There are funds available for all areas, we have funds allocated to agriculture, real estate, for example, so we have to understand what we can allocate to the community of Portuguese language countries and then serve the interests of the countries,” she pointed out.
“We have to leverage companies, we are still within a great economic recession, with the situation of Covid-19 and the war, in which companies need oxygen, and the CE-CPLP will seek answers and some support at the financial level so that companies can have a greater clearance and be able to develop their activity,” said Nelma Fernandes, who was unanimously elected on Monday, after last week’s vote was annulled because some countries had not demonstrated that they had their dues up to date, and were therefore unable to choose Salimo Abdula’s successor.
“Our agenda is common, it is not just mine, we are nine countries and we work together, it is fundamental to look at the companies, our members, and understand the real needs they have so that we can then help them,” she explained.
Questioned about the reasons that lead companies to look to the confederation, Nelma Fernandes replied: “They look to us for some aspects, such as logistical support, the ability to move within the community, for example on the issue of visas and free movement of goods, on the issue of double taxation, which should be looked at again to see if it can be minimised, and then the creation of the arbitration court to mediate any conflicts”.
Lusa
