The vice presidents of Namibia and Angola have reiterated the commitments of their governments to the continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation in various sectors suvh as trade, investment and agriculture.
Nangolo Mbumba and Bornito de Sousa Baltazar Diogo, during their recent meeting in Namibia from 15 to 18 June 2022, also noted the elevation of the Namibia-Angola Joint Commission mechanism, which was co-chaired by ministers, to a Bi-National Commission (BNC), to be co-chaired by the Presidents of Angola and Namibia.
The meeting comes after an invitation of De Sousa Baltazar Diogo by Mbumba, during which the two discussed extensively different issues and visited a number of areas in Namibia.
In a joint communique, the two vice presidents urged for the full implementation of previous joint decisions and projects, with the view to report progress at the inaugural BNC to be hosted by Angola in 2023.
“Recognising of the importance of tourism promotion, the two vice presidents visited the Etosha National Park. They urged the two countries to enhance and promote their cooperation in the tourism sector, with a particular emphasis on cultural tourism and nature conservation.
The two also met with regional governors of Kunene, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Kavango East and Kavango West, as well as with town councils of Ongwediva, Oshakati and Ondangwa to learn from Namibia’s experience in regional and local authority governance matters,” the document noted.
The vice presidents also called for the stimulation of twinning between towns and municipalities of the two countries. In the same vein, they engaged traditional authorities with a view to promote people-to-people contacts.
The also visited the José Eduardo dos Santos Engineering Campus in Ongwediva, where they encouraged both sides to further explore avenues for cooperation in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Vocational Training between institutions of high learning in both countries.
At the end of the visit, Mbumba reiterated Namibia’s support towards Angola’s bid for Commonwealth membership as well as towards Angola’s Presidency of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
