Bayelsa, Angola move to boost trade, tourism, investment

2026-02-11 - 13:28

By Favour Ulebor, Abuja Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said the state is ready to work with Angola to ensure the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Bayelsa and Angola’s Namibe Province. Diri, speaking during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Angola led by Executive Minister of State and Head of the Civil House of the Angolan President, Dionisio Manuel Da Fonseca, on Wednesday in Abuja, said the trade and investment partnership will focus on areas where both sides have strengths, including fisheries, aquaculture and marine economy, agriculture, tourism, and seaport-linked opportunities, with oil and gas also listed as a possible area of cooperation. Diri said the Angolan delegation’s visit was significant because Nigeria and Angola had signed many agreements over the years without implementation, stressing the need to follow up with these agreements. He added that Bayelsa was looking forward to a reciprocal visit from the Governor of Namibe, explaining that earlier plans could not hold due to scheduling challenges and personal loss. He described the visit as a step that would fast-track the Bayelsa-Namibe agreement and revive earlier Nigeria-Angola bilateral commitments. “This is going to fast-track the implementation of the MoU that we have already signed between our both countries and our both states,” he said. Diri recalled attending Angola’s 50th anniversary celebration in Abuja and said his earlier visit to Namibe was informed by the similarities between both regions. He said Bayelsa and Namibe were both coastal and shared similar natural endowments, noting that stronger state-to-province cooperation would deepen Nigeria-Angola relations and boost intra-African trade. He also invited the Angolan delegation to visit Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, noting that the visit would serve as a catalyst for concrete action on the Bayelsa-Namibe MoU. “I believe that this coming will be a tonic towards the implementation of the memorandum of understanding that has been signed between the state of Bayelsa and the province of Namibia,” he said. In his remarks, Da Fonseca said Angola’s visit was partly rooted in Nigeria’s historic support for Angola’s independence. Da Fonseca explained that the Angolan President, who is also the serving President of the African Union, could not make the trip to Nigeria because he would be handing over leadership of the continental body this week. He said Bayelsa and Namibe already had an agreement and Angola was determined to work with Bayelsa to implement it, especially in tourism, business, trade, and investment. He said, “Since our independence, Nigeria was one of the African countries that gave great support to Angola, and it is because of this that we are here representing the President of Angola, His Excellency Jean Lorenzo. “As it was also said, the Bayelsa State and the province of Namibe, they have the agreement in place, and we want to work together to make sure we can implement this agreement and make sure we have business relationships, we have trade and investment both ways,” he said. The Angolan envoy described Namibe as one of the best tourism destinations in Angola, and maybe in Africa, adding that the partnership would allow investments to flow both ways.