Luanda — France will strengthen cooperation with Angola in the training of Angolan staff in the sector of agriculture and livestock, under a protocol signed Tuesday in Luanda by the sector's ministers from the two countries, Marcos Nhunga (Angola) and Didier Guillaume (France).

The protocol will enable the Angolan technicians to attend training and benefit from experience in the European country.

In addition to staff training, the protocol follows the Intergovernmental Agreement between France and Angola, signed on 1 March 2018 in Luanda.

One year after the signing of the deal, France's Minister of Agriculture and Food, Didier Guillaume, welcomed the implementation of the projects included in the agreement.

According to him, the move will encourage the French Government to move forward with cooperation in the agricultural sector.

"One can't manage to achieve sustainable agriculture without skilled training for farmers. It is from this context we have chosen the staff training as priority," he said.

The official also reiterated that under several agreements between the two countries, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, will visit Angola early 2020, as part of strengthening economic cooperation.

In turn, the minister Marcos Nhunga said Angola will need at least USD 70 million to fund agricultural projects and address the drought situation in the south region of the country.

The agreements also cover production of vaccines for livestock production, support for the development of commercial agriculture and strengthening the resilience of small producers to climate change.

After two-day visit to Angola, the French minister returned to his country Tuesday evening.