Africa-Press – Angola. An oil pipeline will connect Angola and Zambia as part of strengthening bilateral cooperation, said this Thursday, in Luanda, the Zambian ambassador, Lawrence Chalungumana, at the end of his mission in the country.
Speaking to the press, after offering farewell greetings to the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, the Zambian diplomat said that technical work had already been carried out in this regard, and construction work could begin in the second quarter of this year.
Lawrence Chalungumana explained that, with the construction of the pipeline, Zambia will become a secondary supplier of petroleum products to other countries in the region.
He stated that, in addition to the Lobito Railway, the road construction project to connect Zambia to eastern Angola, starting in the province of Moxico, is advanced.
According to Lawrence Chalungumana, his country will soon benefit from electricity produced in Angola, with the construction of infrastructure for interconnection being underway.
On the other hand, he added that, within the framework of agreements between the two States, Zambian doctors and nursing professionals will assist Angolan populations in the common border area.
Regarding his seven-year mission in Angola, he mentioned, among the gains, the “visibly high” level of bilateral understanding and the creation of the joint commission to boost cooperation between the two countries.
He also listed, in the balance of his diplomatic performance, the exemption from entry visas to facilitate the movement of citizens of both countries, essentially business, along with other business facilitation mechanisms.
Lawrence Chalungumana reported that as part of trade, Zambia exported agricultural and agro-industry products valued at US$300,000 to Angola.
Conversely, the Angolan economy supplied the Zambian economy with oil, fish, salt and granite, he said, without providing figures.
Angola and Zambia share a common border of 110 kilometers and have fairly regular cooperation relations, within the framework established by the General Agreement on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, signed in 1979.
Last year, they reinforced bilateral cooperation, with the signing of six legal instruments, as part of the state visit to Angola by the Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema, including five memoranda of understanding and one agreement.
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