Nigeria and Angola have revived their long-dormant Bilateral Joint Economic Commission after 24 years, sealing fresh agreements aimed at strengthening socio-economic, cultural, and political cooperation.
The agreements were signed during the fifth session of the joint commission, a three-day meeting in Luanda, led by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and Angola’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Ambassador Domingos Custodio Vieira Lopes.
One of the highlights was a landmark twinning agreement between Bayelsa State and Angola’s Namibe Province, focusing on economic and environmental development, agricultural manpower training, energy, education, culture, tourism, and sports. Another agreement was struck between Nasarawa State and Bengo Province of Angola.
Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, described the pact as “historic,” noting that it would unlock new opportunities for development.
“Signing this important agreement between our two countries and two states is very historic for us from Bayelsa State, coming at a time our host, Angola, was marking its 50th independence anniversary,” Diri said.
“I recall that early this year, I was in Namibe and I saw the level of natural endowments in that province. That also goes for Bayelsa. Both states are naturally endowed, and there is so much we can do that would be mutually beneficial to us as states and our countries.”
He commended the Federal Government for including Bayelsa in the cooperation arrangement and thanked the Angolan government for its hospitality.
Namibe’s governor, Dr. Archer Mangueira, echoed Diri’s sentiments, calling the agreement the beginning of “milestone cooperation.”
“This agreement provides an opportunity to establish areas of comparative advantage. We have common geographical features with Bayelsa. On behalf of the government and people of Namibe, I welcome this agreement and my brother from Bayelsa,” Mangueira said.
Speaking earlier, Amb. Odumegwu-Ojukwu underscored the importance of reviving the joint commission, recalling that Nigeria and Angola’s ties date back to Angola’s independence in 1975.
“This joint commission reaffirms the friendly and cooperative ties between Nigeria and Angola as important partners. As such, there is a need to continuously work together to realise the fullest potential of our bilateral cooperation,” she said.
“Our meeting in the last three days was not only to reflect on the state of our bilateral relations but also to identify new areas of cooperation in keeping with our collective desire to enhance partnership for a better future. We deserve to achieve sustainable economic growth, job creation, people-to-people contact, and poverty reduction for our people.”
The minister revealed that both delegations tabled 28 memoranda of understanding for consideration, noting that the outcome was a product of “shared responsibilities.”
“In negotiations, no side gets completely what it wants or desires. Therefore, what we have in the document before us is a measure of the shared responsibilities our two countries owe each other as we move our relationship to the next level,” she added.
“Let me, on behalf of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, assure the Republic of Angola that we will deploy the necessary political will in the implementation of the content of the document, as it is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. We also expect the same from the Republic of Angola to sustain the level of relationship in the interest of our two nations.”
