As Goa awaits his visit to his ancestral home, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa is already in India, but he will be arriving in Goa only on January 11 for a two-day visit during which he will drop by at his ancestral house in Margao, Abade Faria Road. He will also visit the Churches of Old Goa, the temple at Mangueshi, and have a walking tour of Fontainhas, of the Institute Menezes Braganza, and be feted at a reception at the Adil Shah palace, where a translation of his father, Orlando da Costa’s book will be presented. Before landing in Goa, the Portuguese Prime Minister will stopover in Bangalore and Gujarat. In the former he will be Chief Guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas and in the latter he will attend the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.
While in Delhi, Bangalore and Gujarat, the Portuguese Prime Minister will have business and bilateral relation discussions, in Goa, his visit appears to be more of a social and cultural nature. On day one of his visit in Delhi, Costa had inked seven pacts with India, boosting engagement in a wide range of areas including defence and security, IT and renewable energy. But in Goa, the only business related programme on the two-day agenda is an interaction with Bollywood producers to promote Portuguese locations for Indian film shoots. The Indian film industry has already discovered the scenic environs of Portugal and the charm of its cobbled streets, this interaction hopes to build a more lasting business relationship.
Which is why, it surprises to note that business ties are not on the agenda in Goa. This is an opportunity for industry in Goa to explore the possibility of developing business links with Portugal. The State was a Portuguese colony for 451 years and in 2014 hosted the Lusofonia Games that brought teams from various countries from Asia, Africa and South America that were once Portuguese colonies to Goa. it has that special link that can be developed to take Goa ties with Portugal from being merely historic and nostalgic to business and industry. It is time that Goa means business in the real sense of the world when it deals with Portugal. With a Prime Minister of Goan origin in Lisbon, this is the best time for the State to forge new relations that will benefit Goa.
There is much that Goa can look forward to in business with Portugal. Besides the many pacts signed in New Delhi, India and Portugal have also decided to work together in renewable energy and here is where Goa can learn something from Portugal. In May last year Portugal took a huge step towards using renewable energy and phasing out fossil fuels. For 107 consecutive hours, over four full days, the country was fully powered by solar, wind and hydro power. Goa has been talking about the possibility of exploring the use of renewable energy sources and last year the Power minister had suggested that solar panels could be fitted on the tops of government buildings to harness solar energy. That has till date remained a suggestion. Goa needs to explore the possibilities of harnessing solar energy and other alternative sources of energy so as to reduce its dependability on conventional sources that are not renewable, and here perhaps, Portugal could help.
Goa should not let this opportunity go waste. Economic ties need to be developed between Portugal and Goa that can lead to lasting business bonds.
