A Cooperação Sul-Sul entre o Brasil e os Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa (PALOP): O PEC-G nos governos Lula e Bolsonaro

Abstract

This article examines the relations between Brazil and Lusophone Africa in Brazilian foreign policy since the 1950s, with a particular focus on South-South Cooperation (SSC) in the educational sector. The aim of the study is to analyze the extent to which the Undergraduate Student Agreement Program (Programa de Estudantes-Convênio de Graduação – PEC-G) contributes to strengthening South-South Cooperation between Brazil and the Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa – PALOP) during the Lula and Bolsonaro administrations. Hence, our hypothesis is that PEC-G has contributed to strengthening South-South Cooperation between Brazil and the PALOP due to its horizontal nature and the program's scope. Methodologically, this is a hypothetico-deductive approach based on specialized literature in foreign policy and SSC, as well as official reports from the Union and legal instruments. In summary, it is acknowledged that although PEC-G has been identified as an effective instrument to promote cooperation between Brazil and developing countries, particularly the PALOP, it is observed that on some occasions the program deviates from SSC principles due to exclusionary prerequisites. Thus, while Lula's administration sought to strengthen the implementation of PEC-G, particularly by enhancing relations with the PALOP, the Bolsonaro government adopted a more distant stance towards educational cooperation and Lusophone Africa.