Portuguese Prime Minister urged to invest in Goa

Panaji, May 6 (IANS) Goa and its former coloniser Portugal should work together in areas of trade, tourism and culture, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa was told by the native Goan and non-resident Goan community at a cultural event in Lisbon on Saturday.

Speaking at the 30th anniversary of Casa de Goa, a cultural centre in Portugal's capital which promotes ties between the European country and the coastal state, President of the Centre Edgar Valles said Portuguese investors should capitalise on the 'Smart City' phenomenon by investing in Panaji, the state capital and one of the several cities shortlisted for the central government's urban renewal mission.

"To sum up, India and the state of Goa are at the cusp of a massive transformation, matched by a resurgent and confident Portuguese economy. In this golden moment, the sky is the limit to what Portugal and Goa can do together," said Valles in his speech.

The anniversary celebration was attended by the Portuguese Prime Minister, who is of Goan origin and visited his home state a few months ago, during a state visit to India.

"Portuguese companies can be an ideal partner in developing this sector in Goa through investments, joint ventures, consultancy services and transfer of technology and know how. For instance, one single flagship project like the $150 million Panaji Smart City project, presents several opportunities to Portuguese companies," Valles said.

He added that it would be ideal for Portuguese companies to look at Goa as an investment destination, given the familiarity of language, culture and people to people ties and the natural comfort level that exists.

"Over $15 million is being invested in developing tourist circuits and Goa is working on developing tourism infrastructure like hop on hop off buses, duck boat rides, Segway tours, seaplanes and chopper tourism and launching new activities like hot air balloons, scuba diving, parasailing etc," he said, adding that Portuguese companies could pitch in to develop tourism facilities in Goa.

He said other collaborations could also be worked out in areas like food processing, fisheries, agriculture, electronic manufacturing and renewable energy.

At the event, Costa was also presented with a painting of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, drawn by a Goan artist, and a ghumot, a native Goan percussion musical instrument.