Hungarian foreign minister: Africa is the ‘continent of the future’

The Hungarian foreign minister said Africa will make a significant contribution to global economic growth in the coming period and called it “the continent of the future”, speaking by phone from Cape Verde, where he is accompanying Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on an official visit.

In future, Africa will be to the global economy what China was a few years ago, Péter Szijjártó told MTI. Evidence of this is the presence of all of the world’s strongest economies in most African countries, seeking ways to benefit from the continent’s economic growth, he added.

Hungary must choose African countries willing to cooperate and with a common understanding, he said.

Cape Verde is a Christian country that takes Christian values and Christian heritage seriously, Szijjártó said.

“It has great respect for Hungary which has a similar attitude so the two countries share an understanding and this ensures the foundations for economic cooperation,” he added.

Hungary is laying the foundation for this cooperation by providing 35 million euros in tied aid for investment projects in agriculture, irrigation and water management in Cape Verde, he said. Water supply is a problem in Cape Verde and Hungarian companies will produce water suitable for agricultural use through desalination and wastewater recycling, he added.