The Bayelsa State Governor, His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, received a high-powered delegation from the Government of Angola led by the Executive Minister of State and Head of the Civil House of the Angolan President, His Excellency Dionisio Manuel Da Fonseca, at the Bayelsa State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.
The delegation also included the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Angola to Nigeria, Dr. José Bamoquina Zau.
The meeting was in furtherance of the agreement signed in September 2025 in Luanda between the Government of the Province of Namibe and the Bayelsa State Government.
Speaking earlier, His Excellency, Fonseca explained that he was in Nigeria as a representative of the Angolan President, noting that the visit was aimed at strengthening the existing bilateral relationship between Angola and Nigeria, as well as deepening the partnership between Namibe Province and Bayelsa State.
He stated that Angola was determined to work with Bayelsa State to implement the agreement, particularly in areas of tourism, business, trade, and investment.
According to him, Nigeria played a significant role in supporting Angola during its struggle for independence, and the visit was a demonstration of appreciation and commitment to stronger cooperation.
“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 João Lourenço.
“Bayelsa State and the Province of Namibe have an agreement in place, and we want to work together to ensure implementation of this agreement and make sure we have business relationships as well as trade and investment both ways,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the Bayelsa State Government, Governor Diri expressed appreciation to the President of Angola and outgoing Chairman of the African Union, João Lourenço, for the visit.
The Governor assured the delegation of Bayelsa’s readiness to work with the Angolan Government to ensure full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bayelsa State and Namibe Province.
He noted that the partnership would focus on areas of mutual comparative advantage, including fisheries, aquaculture and marine economy, agriculture, tourism, and seaport-linked opportunities, while also identifying oil and gas as a possible area of cooperation.
Governor Diri further stated that the visit was significant, noting that Nigeria and Angola had signed several bilateral agreements in the past without full implementation. He expressed optimism that the renewed engagement would fast-track the Bayelsa-Namibe agreement and revive broader Nigeria-Angola bilateral commitments.
He recalled attending Angola’s 50th anniversary celebration in Abuja and explained that his earlier visit to Namibe was informed by the similarities between both regions.
“Bayelsa and Namibe are both coastal areas and share similar natural endowments,” the Governor said
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