Nigeria and Angola are set to sign 15 new Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) as the 5th session of the Nigeria–Angola Bilateral Economic Joint Commission (BEJC) opened on Tuesday in Luanda, Angola.
The agreements will cover a wide range of areas including defence and intelligence, migration partnership, transfer of sentenced persons, correctional reforms, education, youth development, anti-corruption, security, cultural exchanges, mining, land transportation, health, media collaboration, and the establishment of a Nigeria–Angola Business Council.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the development would reinvigorate the long-standing ties between both countries, describing the reactivation of the Joint Commission as a milestone after more than two decades of stalled efforts.
“This reactivation has provided an opportunity to resuscitate moribund bilateral agreements. I am delighted that the collective efforts of both sides have yielded the drafting and vetting of 19 MoUs, alongside two twinning agreements between Bayelsa and Namibe, and Nasarawa and Bengo Provinces,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated.
She noted that discussions would also include the possibility of Nigerian airline operations in Angola, collaboration in oil and gas, elimination of double taxation, and the entry of selected Nigerian banks into Angola.
In his remarks, Angolan Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Domingos Vieira Lopes, said the agreements would further deepen ties between the two nations.
“The signing of new cooperation instruments will boost our bilateral relations. The mutual benefit will be enormous, helping development and growth in both countries to the benefit of our people,” Lopes said.
The session, which groups talked into four broad working areas—diplomatic and migration, defence and security, trade and investment, and natural and human resources development will end on Friday.
