Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has expressed strong interest in forging partnerships with Namibe, Angola, to leverage its aquatic resources, agriculture, and potential oil reserves.
The Bayelsa governor stated this at the weekend during a meeting with the governor of the Province of Namibe in Angola, Mr. Archer Mangueira.
He said Bayelsa and Namibe shared similarities as coastal states bordering the Atlantic Ocean, adding that both states could benefit from areas in which they had a comparative advantage.
Namibe has developed its marine economy to become the fishery hub of Angola and the southern African sub-region, with discussions between both leaders centred around exploring the opportunities of collaboration in this sector.
Areas identified for collaboration include fisheries, agriculture, tourism, and oil and gas, as both regions seek to maximize their comparative advantages for mutual economic growth.
In a statement yesterday by the chief press secretary, Daniel Alabrah, Diri emphasized plans to develop infrastructure that would enable exploration of the Atlantic Ocean. He also highlighted Bayelsa’s untapped potential as Nigeria’s state with the longest coastline.
He noted the state’s ongoing construction of roads to the Atlantic Ocean and outlined plans to develop a deep seaport at Agge, inviting investors with the capacity to actualize the project.
Diri also advocated for economic cooperation between states in Africa, adding that such cooperation would promote African unity, boost the economies of the sub-nationals as well as reduce the economic dependence on the Western world.
Diri said: “Bayelsa has a whole lot of similarities with Namibe. Like your province, Bayelsa borders the Atlantic Ocean except that Namibe has low lands with a dual advantage of the Atlantic Ocean and the desert.
“Bayelsa is at the heart of the Niger Delta, which is the oil-producing region of Nigeria, and like Namibe, it is also in the southern flank of our country. The state is very rich in oil and gas, and, in fact, it is richer in gas than oil.
“Also in agriculture, our land is very fertile for the cultivation of rice, plantain, cassava, bananas, potatoes and vegetables. We recently established a relationship with the South Korean Government, which has donated equipment to our state for mechanised farming.
“I believe that there are many areas we can collaborate. Where you have a comparative advantage, you produce, and where we have a comparative advantage, we also produce.
“From our meeting, I’m aware that Namibe is also a potentially oil producing state. So, areas of collaboration include fisheries, agriculture, culture, tourism and potentially oil and gas.”
In his remarks, the governor of the Namibe Province, Archer Mangueira, said he was excited about the visit and the prospects for collaboration and investments.
Describing Namibe as the Land of Happiness, Mangueira noted that there was much to learn and benefit from a vast country like Nigeria.
He said that although the province grapples with erosion challenges, it is focusing on its tourism sector to develop the region’s economy.
