The Angolan president returned to Luanda on Sunday, after a three-day state visit to Portugal in which the two countries signed a set of 13 cooperation agreements, the Portuguese press reported. The agreements signed between Angola and Portugal cover areas such as justice, teacher training, engineering, tourism, culture, social reintegration, forensic medicine, health, science, innovation and the environment.

The 36th Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly will take place from 3 to 5 December 2018 in Cotonou (Benin). It will be preceded by meetings of the three standing committees and the Bureau on 1 and 2 December 2018.

The European Commission has adopted five new programmes worth over €141 million under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica said: "Our new EU programmes, worth €141 million, are particularly focusing on important opportunities for young people. They will furthermore support our G5 Sahel partners to strengthen development and stability in border areas, as well as help us to save more lives and fight human traffickers, who take advantage of vulnerable people's despair.

G20 leaders will meet in Buenos Aires on 30 November and 1 December. Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, will represent the EU at the summit.

The Council extended the mandate of EU military training mission EUTM Somalia until 31 December 2020 and agreed on a budget of €22.9 million for the period 1 January 2019 until 31 December 2020.

At its Africa Day in Addis Ababa, the European Investment Bank announced today its strong support for the construction of a 420-MW hydropower project in Cameroon. The EIB will provide a EUR 50 million long term project finance loan to NHPC (Nachtigal Hydro Power Company) under the Impact Financing Envelope of the ACP Cotonou Investment Facility.

The ties between the European Union and the African continent are historic and their destinies are closely interlinked. The EU is Africa’s main partner in for economic activity and trade, as well as development, humanitarian aid and security. Given these existing links and the new challenges we face, notably the demographic dynamic in Africa, the partnership between Africa and the EU needs a new vision of a future, one that reflects the changing social, environmental, economic and political situations in the two continents.

On 19 November 2018, the Council adopted conclusions on Ethiopia. The Council notes that Ethiopia has witnessed momentous change and that political and economic reforms have gained a new impetus under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's discussions largely focused on advancing strong bilateral relations built on historical ties, mutual respect, common economic aspirations and deep bonds of friendship between Somalia and Italy.

As part of Belize currant pro tempore presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA), the Mission of Belize to the European Union convened a seminar on 16 November 2018 in Brussels that brought together for the first time the Missions of SICA Member states and the Missions of CARIFORUM Member states with key European Union counterparts to further explore prospects for Central American and Caribbean cooperation in the context of relations with the EU.