Trade, Security Top As Angola-Nigeria Bilateral Joint Commission Meets

Angola and Nigeria will from today begin the fine-tuning of strategies to strengthen their diplomatic ties in diverse sectors.

The sectors in the priority list of the two countries are trade, defence and security, cyber and digital diplomacy, economy and trade, judicial and culture.

Others are air and maritime transport, telecommunications and social communication, tourism and visa exemption.

These critical areas will dominate discussions at the 5th Meeting of the Angola-Nigeria Bilateral Joint Commission, which starts today in Luanda, the Angolan capital.

The forum will also review the cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries and examine the major economic challenges.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Embassy of Angola in Nigeria, it noted that more than 20 agreements and memorandums of understanding need to be updated, and new legal instruments will henceforth guide political-diplomatic cooperation between the two countries in the aforementioned sectors.

The delegations are headed by the secretary of state for International Cooperation of MIREX, His Excellency Domingos Viera Lopes, and Nigeria’s minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu

The Ambassador of Angola to Nigeria, José Bamóquina Zau, described the moment as a turning point to promote more dynamic cooperation based on free trade, exemption from visas and double taxation, extradition and transfer of convicted people and greater security in the Gulf of Guinea.

“Since 2001, the work of this commission has been interrupted and we are very excited to relaunch this cooperation with a focus on the hydrocarbon and petrochemical industries, agribusiness, sun tourism, information technologies, innovation and the blue economy to generate investments that create young jobs and boost companies in both countries”, Zau explained.

On the sidelines of the meeting, two Twinning Agreements will be formalised between the Angolan provinces of Bengo and Namibe and the Nigerian States of Nasarawa and Bayelsa, respectively, with the participation of their governors.

At the same occasion, the Angola Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency – AIPEX and the Angola-Nigeria Business Council – ANBC will strengthen relationship channels to guarantee solid economic partnerships with private investments from Nigeria.

Trade between Angola and Nigeria continues to be dull, insignificant and unexploited considering the potential that the two countries present, a situation that worries the respective Governments. Outside the oil sector, from 2020 to 2022, the value of exports of goods from Angola to Nigeria was calculated at US$5.6 million and imports stood at US$16.8 million, representing a negative trade balance of US$11.2 million.

In February 2024, the Angolan Embassy organised the 2nd Business Forum in Lagos and Nigerian gross investment intentions had been estimated at US$5 billion.