Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, on Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, met with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, to examine the state of bilateral cooperation between the two states.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit, which closes this Sunday in the Ethiopian capital.
Angola and South Africa are committed to strengthening their cooperation in order to achieve a real “qualitative leap” in bilateral relations.
This new phase of the partnership focuses on sectors considered key to sustainable development and regional integration, namely agriculture, energy, mining, transport and higher education.
The joint strategy aims not only at economic dynamism but also at creating business opportunities, strengthening security in the southern region of Africa and consolidating structuring economic agreements.
In the field of economy and investment, trade is assumed as a priority.
There is a significant presence of South African companies in Angola, particularly in the mining, banking, logistics and services sectors.
This business dynamics contributes to strengthening regional value chains and increasing economic competitiveness between the two African countries.
Regarding energy and natural resources, the cooperation between the Angolan oil company Sonangol and the Petroleum, Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA) stands out, reflecting the common interest in deepening partnerships in the oil area and in the development of joint mining projects.
This collaboration aims to enhance the sustainable exploitation of natural resources while promoting the transfer of technical and technological knowledge.
At the level of higher education and culture, memoranda of understanding have been signed to promote academic collaboration, the exchange of researchers and the preservation of the historical heritage associated with the liberation struggles of southern Africa.
These initiatives strengthen the historical and cultural bonds between the two States, promoting the sharing of knowledge and the enhancement of collective memory.
In the field of security, Angola and South Africa have committed themselves to intensifying joint actions in the fight against transnational crime, terrorism and illicit trafficking in resources.
In diplomatic terms, the two countries maintain mutual support in multilateral forums, as in the context of the African Union (AU) and the intergovernmental organization comprising of Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (BRICS), where they advocate a greater African role in global governance.
The Binational Cooperation Commission is the main mechanism for monitoring the implementation of these mechanisms and ensuring regular meetings between the two States, as it promotes effective coordination of joint initiatives.
Senegal
In complying his diplomatic agenda at the headquarters of the African Union, President João Lourenço also met Senegal ‘s Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko.
Cooperation between Angola and Senegal is undergoing a phase of strategic revitalisation aimed at strengthening economic and diplomatic ties.
At institutional level, the two countries made official the creation of a Joint Bilateral Commission, with the mission of monitoring and boosting the implementation of agreements between their governments.
In April 2025, the city of Dakar hosted the 1st Angola-Senegal Economic Forum, an initiative that boosted trade and industrial partnerships between entrepreneurs from both nations.
The parties also signed legal instruments for cooperation in the fields of Tourism, Trade, Justice and Investment Promotion with a view to diversifying economies and increasing business exchange.
In the Energy and Natural Resources sector, Angola expressed interest in sharing its oil and gas experience, taking into account recent hydrocarbon discoveries in Senegal, while in the agriculture field, the two States intensified the exchange of experiences with a focus on food sovereignty, which was considered a strategic priority in 2025.
