The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, paid a state visit to Angola on Monday at the invitation of his counterpart João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço.
The visit was marked by the signing of 44 legal instruments, representing a $6.5 billion injection into the Angolan economy and aimed at diversifying and strengthening bilateral relations.
Welcomed with military honours at the presidential palace in Luanda, the Emirati leader held a one-on-one meeting with the Angolan president prior to the signing of the agreements. According to the Angolan presidency, this initiative illustrates Abu Dhabi’s determination to consolidate its partnership with Luanda and promote strategic synergies across various sectors.
The signed instruments cover a wide range of areas: visa exemptions for certain passport categories, military cooperation, public finance management, customs, agriculture, investments in the mining sector, green and renewable energy, health, banking, culture, education, sports, anti-corruption, and artificial intelligence, among others.
President João Lourenço emphasised that these agreements will “undoubtedly create thousands of jobs, primarily absorbing young people with varying skill levels.” He described the visit as a “historic turning point” in Angola–UAE relations and highlighted the growing role of the UAE as a major investor in Africa, with financial commitments exceeding $100 billion since 2019.
Angola will host in October the 3rd African Summit on Infrastructure Financing, to which President Lourenço has invited Emirati companies to participate and explore new partnership opportunities.
Beyond economic matters, João Lourenço also addressed global and African security issues, citing the war in Ukraine, the Middle East conflict, and crises in the Sahel, DR Congo, and Sudan, calling for stronger and more coordinated international action to address these challenges.
ARD/ac/lb/as/APA