Visit of the Executive Director Harold Tavares to Brussels, Belgium: Investment Forum – Sao Tome and Principe 2040

Highlight of the official Mission of Executive Director, Mr. Harold TAVARES to Brussels, Belgium held on December 11, 2025

• Meeting with H.E. Américo dos Ramos, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Principe
• Meeting with H.E. Gareth Guadalupe, Minister of State, Economy and Finance
• Meeting with Mr. Abdullah Al Musaibeeh, President of BADEA
• Meeting with the IMF Representative in São Tomé and Principe

The Investment Forum - São Tomé and Príncipe 2040 was held in Brussels on December 11, 2025. This high-level international event aimed to mobilize technical and financial partnerships for the implementation of the National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) 2026-2040.

The Forum was structured around two main segments: a multi-stakeholder dialogue on the country's vision, and an investment forum focused on priority projects. Both segments sought to generate strategic synergies and attract financing for initiatives with strong economic, social, and environmental impact.

The event brought together a qualified and diverse audience, including government and financial institution representatives, business leaders, international investors, members of the São Toméan diaspora, and multilateral partners. Under the high patronage of the Prime Minister and Head of Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, the Forum was co-organized with strategic partners such as the United Nations, the Government of Portugal, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and the World Bank, among others.

The Executive Director was invited to moderate a panel focused on Platform for Sustainable Eco-Tourism Growth. With a growing global demand for sustainable and experiential tourism, São Tomé and Príncipe offers a unique investment opportunity to pioneer an integrated model where economic growth, environmental preservation, and cultural identity coexist harmoniously anchored in a governance framework that values inclusiveness, innovation, and long-term resilience. The Sustainable Eco-Tourism Session convened government leaders, international development partners, and investors to explore the strategic vision for tourism transformation and debate on the opportunities across the value chain.

On the sidelines of the forum, the Executive Directors held several bilateral meetings both at the Governmental level and with international partners with the aim to explore avenues for further collaboration and partnership with the office. At the Government level, the two executives discussed portfolio performance, the need for in country presence of the World Bank Group with this renewed vision of the country's development path and need for institutionalization of this initiative in an annual basis. With international partners, the dialogue was focus on the side event to be held on the margin of the Annual Meetings in Bangkok in October 2026.