Nigeria, Angola to sign 15 MOUs — Ojukwu

….As 5th Joint Commission begins successful Luanda

By Nkiruka Nnorom

No less than 15 Memoranda of Understanding, MoUs, volition beryllium signed astatine the on-going 5th league of the Nigeria-Angola Bilateral Economic Joint Commission, BEJC, which began successful Luanda, yesterday.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the MoUs, erstwhile signed, would propel the existing bilateral relations to a higher pedestal, portion playing precise important roles successful enhancing the communal interest, strengthening home institutions, promoting economical and societal growth, and gathering capableness for affable countries.

She listed the areas covered by the MoUs to see establishing Nigeria-Angola Business Council; economical and method cooperation; practice successful combating illicit production; manufacturing, and trafficking successful narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their precursors, among others.

The curate regretted that erstwhile efforts to clasp different league since the 4th league successful Abuja successful October 2001were not successful, but expressed delight that the lawsuit became imaginable aft implicit 2 decades.

“Our gathering present contiguous is the result of the caller efforts by some countries from February this twelvemonth aft decades of unfruitful efforts including the failed 2013 attempts by method officials.

”The continued efforts toward resuscitating this Joint Commission by some countries implicit the years is aimed astatine strengthening the fraternal relations betwixt Nigeria and Angola, whose instauration was laid erstwhile Nigeria’s Diplomatic Mission was established successful Luanda successful 1975.

”Prior to that, Nigeria contributed immensely to the liberation of Angola from Portugal and the designation of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) arsenic the morganatic typical of the Angolan people,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated.

She noted that the eventual reactivation of the associated committee attested to the continued efforts by some countries towards actualising the aspirations of their diplomatic relations for the communal payment of their people.

She said: “This reactivation, which has birthed the 5th league of the associated commission, has provided an accidental to resuscitate the moribund bilateral agreements betwixt the 2 countries.

”I americium specifically delighted to enactment that the corporate efforts by some sides person yielded results successful the drafting, strenuous vetting of 19 Memorandum of Understanding, unneurotic with 2 twinning agreements betwixt the authorities of Bayelsa State (Nigeria) and the Province of Namibe (Angola) arsenic good arsenic the Twinning Agreement betwixt the authorities of Nasarawa State (Nigeria) and the Province of Bengo (Angola), connected precise important areas of practice for last information during this Joint Commission meeting.”

The curate disclosed that she and her delegation looked guardant to presenting respective different captious issues for consideration, including practice and partnerships successful the quality and earthy resources development, specified arsenic method manpower assistance, to execute quality superior development, deliberation connected the commencement of the Nigerian hose carriers’ formation to Angola and different Bilateral Air Services matters.

In his opening remarks, Angolan Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Domingos Vieira Lopes, welcomed the Nigerian delegation, saying his state looked guardant to precise fruitful outcomes.

He said: “This gathering is an accidental to fortify the ties and diplomatic narration betwixt African people. I americium convinced that this gathering volition unfastened caller dynamics successful our diplomatic relationship.

”The narration betwixt the 2 countries began successful 1975 erstwhile Nigeria was the archetypal state to recognise Angola arsenic an autarkic State. And the narration has continued to grow. So, the signing of caller practice instruments volition boost our bilateral relations.

“I cognize that the communal payment would beryllium enormous. These agr...