Chidimma Uchegbu -Abuja
Nigeria and the Republic of Angola have signed two agreements consisting of cooperation on combating illicit production, manufacture and trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychological substances and their precursors as well as on cultural cooperation and exchange.
The event took place at the just held 5th Session of the Nigeria-Angola Bilateral Economic Joint Commission in Luanda, the capital city of Angola, from September 9th – 12th, 2025. The Joint Commission was revived after 24 years.
The Nigerian government also facilitated a landmark agreement on socio-economic and cultural development between Bayelsa State and Namibe, a province of Angola.
It also midwifed another economic cooperation deal between Nasarawa State and the Angolan province of Bengo.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who led the Nigerian delegation, signed on behalf of the Federal Government and the Angolan Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Amb. Domingos Lopes, signed for his country.
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and his Namibe Province counterpart, Dr. Archer Mangueira, respectively signed their sister-cities twinning agreement.
Amb. Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Angolan counterpart, Amb. Lopes praised both countries for resuscitating the joint commission.
A statement signed by Dr. Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, stated that Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted the significance of the joint commission while recalling the historic bonds between Nigeria and Angola, dating back to 1975 when Angola became independent.
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 peoples.
“The joint commission between our two countries thus provides a good framework to develop strategies with a view to strengthening and broadening our bilateral relations. The signing of the three agreements, including the historic twinning agreement between Bayelsa State of Nigeria and the Province of Namibe in Angola in areas of cooperation, not only signals our collective desire to promote economic, political, cultural, social, educational and scientific cooperation. It also marks a strategic partnership to boost economic growth and create employment opportunities thus making a contribution in the fight against poverty and underdevelopment in our two countries.”
The Minister said the contributions of the delegates at the meeting indicated the resolve of the two countries to effectively collaborate.
“We brought to the table 28 Memoranda of Understanding, which various sub-committees carefully deliberated and will continue to further deliberate upon. The long hours spent by our officials underscore the seriousness and importance that the two delegations attached to the subjects under consideration. I thank both sides for their sacrifices in this regard.
“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.
“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 Ahmed Tinubu. We also expect the same from the Republic of Angola to sustain the level of relationship in the interest of our two nations.”
Other Memoranda of Understanding already fine-tuned between Nigeria and Angola were slated for signing in due course.
There was also high-level meeting of experts from both countries which bordered on various areas of cooperation between the two countries.
They cut across visa waivers, simplified customs procedures and preferential cargo lanes; economic diversification on non-oil sectors, trade facilitation, promotion of indigenous oil services firms in engineering, fabrication, logistics, etc., for offshore projects, and the need to pursue upstream and services partnership between our two countries; gas to power exploration, LNG trading and swaps, ports and transport upgrades, warehousing and inter-land links.
The Nigerian minister who addressed a press conference after the session explained: “We negotiated on Avoidance of Double Taxation, Agriculture pilot projects mechanization on banana, cassava, rice and poultry for export; technical manpower transfer and assistance through the Nigeria Technical Aid Programme; opening channels for trade settlement by creating Naira/Kwanza corridors, whilst we commended Angola for accommodating Nigerian banks like Access Bank and UBA into its economy; discussions about a private sector initiative towards the establishment of a business council between both countries, as well as investment promotion and protection.
“We also presented and signed an agreement on creative economy, arts and culture to promote cultural exchange programmes in film and music co-production, festivals, touring agreements, etc.
“We proposed a more vibrant marine tourism, and an international boat cruise between Nigerian and Angolan coasts, especially during Detty December.”
She described the joint commission as fruitful stating that both countries will work on actualizing these strategic outcomes.
