The President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló declared that the country has reached “unprecedented levels of credibility” in 2022, the highlight being the presidency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In the traditional end of the year speech, Sissoco Embalo argued that, despite having been a difficult year, 2022 was one of challenges that, he said, allowed Guinea-Bissau to “register remarkable events at the national and international level.”
“Guinea-Bissau achieved greater visibility and credibility, reaching unprecedented levels. For the first time since 1975, the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau chairs the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government”, praised Embaló.
The Guinean President also noted that the country “knew how to position itself successfully” in the concert of nations, “making itself heard” at conferences and international events and also “actively participated” in the search for peaceful and lasting solutions to the conflicts that plague the sub-region, Africa and the rest of the world, he said.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló said that the country “has effectively lived through a year of intense diplomatic activity,” focusing on the promotion of economic potential, cultural and tourism to attract foreign investment.
He noted that the achievements to which he refers were reached at a time when the world was still recovering from the effects of the covid-19 pandemic and shaken by the rising prices of food and oil products, a result of the war in Eastern Europe.
“In this difficult context, we have achieved remarkable results on several fronts, thanks to our own internal efforts, and the cooperation and solidarity of partners and friends”, Sissoco Embaló said.
Domestically, the Guinean President believes that “a qualitative leap” was registered in the fight against corruption and promised to “redouble attention” on social issues, namely Education, Health and public infrastructures, with a view to improving the conditions of the population.