Nigeria and Angola have revived the Nigeria-Angola Bilateral Joint Economic Commission after 24 years at a three-day fifth meeting of both governments on Thursday in Luanda.
Both nations reached agreements on the development of Sister-Cities and bilateral cooperation, according to a statement by Mr Daniel Alabrah, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri.
Nigeria also facilitated a landmark twinning agreement on socio-economic and cultural development between Bayelsa State and Namibe, a province of Angola, and midwifed another economic cooperation deal between Nasarawa State and the Angolan province of Bengo.
Nigeria and Angola, two of Africa’s largest oil-producing nations, have long shared historical, political, and economic ties dating back to Angola’s independence in 1975.
Despite these ties, formal bilateral cooperation had stagnated for over two decades, with the last session of the Nigeria-Angola Bilateral Joint Economic Commission held 24 years ago.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, who led the Nigerian delegation, signed on behalf of the Federal Government and the Angolan Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Ambassador Domingos Custodio Vieira Lopes signed for his country.
Diri equally signed for Bayelsa State while his Namibe counterpart, Dr. Archer Mangueira, represented his province at the ceremony.
The twinning agreement entails both Bayelsa and Namibe cooperating on economic and environmental development, urban city management, as well as agricultural manpower training.
The agreement also includes citizenship relations between local communities, social and economic agents, as well as cooperation on energy, education, culture, tourism, and sports development.
Addressing the media with his Namibe counterpart after the signing ceremony, Diri described the agreement as historic, as it marked the concretisation of a relationship that began early this year when he first embarked on an exploratory visit to the coastal province.
He commended the Federal Government for considering Bayelsa State in the bilateral cooperation arrangement with Angola, saying it would open new vistas for economic growth and development of the state.
Diri noted that both states had commonalities in natural resource endowment and that the cooperation would boost the economic potential of the littoral states.
He said: “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.
“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.”
Diri appreciated Mangueira for the hospitality during his visit and the Angolan government for the warm reception accorded to the Nigerian delegation.
Mangueira also commended the governments of both countries for the twinning agreement, saying it was the beginning of a milestone cooperation between the two states.
He said, “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.”
Earlier, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Angolan counterpart, Lopes praised both countries for resuscitating the joint commission.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, while recalling the historic bonds between Nigeria and Angola, dating back to 1975 when Angola became independent, noted the significance of the joint commission.
She said: “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. Our long bilateral relations since the establishment of the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Luanda in 1975 have brought us to where we are today.
“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 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 Foreign Affairs Minister said the contributions of the delegates at the meeting were indicative of 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 Tinubu. We also expect the same from the Republic of Angola to sustain the level of relationship in the interest of our two nations.”
The PUNCH
